Masters of Darkness II: The Force Reborn
by TheCrY
Summary: The second entry in the Masters of Darkness series. Jerec now reigns supreme over the galaxy, yet various uprisings threaten his reign. Kyle Katarn and his apprentice Jaden Korr face the notorious Reborn Clan, while rebellions come to life on Coruscant, Sullust, and even among Jerec's own ranks.
1. Preface

**_It has been a couple of months since the fall of the New Republic. The galaxy, though ruled by Emperor Jerec's firm hand, has been surprisingly peaceful. Rebellion uprisings are few, but extinguished painfully nonetheless._**

 ** _With Kyle Katarn as his right hand, Jerec is only concerned by the increasing activity of the Reborn clan. He has instructed Kyle Katarn and his new apprentice Jaden Korr to track and kill Desann._**

 ** _Meanwhile, we find ourselves on Coruscant, where Yun is put in charge of order…_**

(a few words by the author)

Thank you very much for wanting to read this fanfiction story. Episode II of the _Masters of Darkness_ series is about five years old at the date of publication, and its the first in the series I look back upon with a smile. Granted, I feel that my writing has improved a lot since, and I have tried to update the wording in this from time to time. I still think too many things happen too quickly, but at least the plot is getting more complex, compared to Episode I. Looking back, I am proud of the story in this one, even though it could have been written down more elaborately with better pacing.

This episode contains a lot of characters from _Dark Forces II_ 's follow-ups, _Jedi Outcast_ and _Jedi Academy_ , but of course the characters are completely different, because the timeline has shifted. _The Force Reborn_ details the rise of the new rebellion, as well as the personal journey of Jaden Korr, apprentice to Kyle Katarn here, and his dealings with a brand new faction… the Reborn.

This fanfiction follows up on:

\- The George Lucas Star Wars films, episode I through VI (and the Clone Wars animated show)

\- The pc games Dark Forces and Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, including their novelization by William C. Dietz. Many characters are from these games/novels.

\- _Masters of Darkness I: The Third Option_ , of course. There's a plot summary attached to that story (at the end), if you don't want to read through that one.

* * *

 _Disclaimer: **I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters introduced in existing stories. Only the original characters in here are mine.**_

Any reviews or comments would be appreciated, despite this story being old. I love to get feedback on characters, plot, or writing style, so don't be shy. :)

Thanks for reading,

TheCrY


	2. Chapter I

"On my mark, light the fuse. From there on, it should go automatically."

"Yes, sir." Brendon nodded.

"Oh, but don't forget to wait exactly ten seconds until you do! Timing is essential."

"Yes, sir."

The old man, nicknamed Tank, patted Brendon's shoulder, smiled encouragingly and jumped to his feet. "It's such a shame…" He spat on the floor. "I know I'd rather see you live a normal life, Bren. To have a family… But I promised your father…"

"No need to get melodramatic. It's just a job, right? Routine work, just like we've always done."

Tank's eyes rolled down. He smiled vaguely. "Yes, it's just a job," he echoed.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Brendon wondered why. Why was the old man suddenly overcome with emotion? It was just a routine job.

"Ten seconds, Bren!" shouted the old man as he hurried through the small corridors.

Knowing that it would take a few minutes for Tank to get to the other side, Bren sat down on the cold, durasteel floor. Behind him was the elevator through which they had come together. He looked out the window and peaked downward. He loved seeing all those little shuttles and one-man ships flying criss-cross through the airways. On the right was a tall building that was apparently very important, but Brendon knew not what purpose it served. The building on the left was unmistakably the previous home of the New Republic.

" _Come in, Bren!_ " sounded Tank's voice through the small com-unit around Brendon's wrist.

"I'm ready."

" _I'm not sure how to tell you this, but there's some delay._ "

"What kind of delay?"

" _Hard to tell. When I tell you to run and get the hell out of there, please don't ask any questions and just do so!_ "

"What are you talking about?"

" _Promise me!_ "

"Well, sure, I promise. But why should it go wrong? It's routine, you said it yourself."

" _Yes, Bren, routine. I'm almost there, you should be able to see me when I'm there._ "

Bren looked out the window towards the tower straight across and saw a silhouette, unmistakably Tank. "I see you! Wave at the camera!"

The old man's hand went up and a soft chuckle was heard though the com-unit. " _This cannot go wrong. On my mark, Bren._ "

"Ready, sir!"

" _Alrighty then. Let's see, release the valves…_ "

"Sir? We were to clear a blockade?"

" _What was that?_ " His voice suddenly sounded scared.

"What was what?"

" _I heard a noise._ "

"What noise?"

Suddenly a loud thump sounded on the other side. Brendon looked at the place where he saw the silhouette. There were flashes of light now. Through the com-unit there were the sounds of blasters. " _Run, Bren, run!_ "

He heard the old man scream, but Brendon couldn't move. What was this? How could this happen? Why would somebody want to murder an honest, hardworking man? It didn't make sense! He slowly got to his feet and wanted to run, but a voice stopped him.

"Not so fast, rebel." Two stormtroopers blocked the way. Two big rifles pointed at his head. Instinctively, Brendon sunk to his knees and put his hands in the air. One of the troopers reached for his com-unit and spoke. "Cadet Mauran to Team Leader. We captured the other one, sir… The… Yes, corporal." He gestured Brendon to follow him.

They stepped into the lift. Brendon wondered what the authorities were arresting him for. He didn't do anything wrong and neither did Tank. He wanted to ask the stormtroopers what was going on. He wanted to explain to them that he wasn't doing anything illegal, but his father always used to say never to speak to stormtroopers. "They are ruthless, mindless killing machines," he always said. "The more you say, the more reason they have to kill you." Brendon always used to disagree. They were but men, he thought. But they frightened him nonetheless.

"Have you heard what happened on Ord Mantell last week?" one of the stormtroopers suddenly spoke.

"No. What?" spoke the other.

"There are words that an entire city was destroyed by rebels!"

"Rebels? Are you sure it wasn't the Reborn clan?"

"The Reborn clan?"

The stormtrooper chuckled. "You're obviously new. It's a clan of dangerous Jedi! Ruthless, mindless killing machines, from what I've heard. I wouldn't want to cross any of them, if you ask me."

"And you think they destroyed an entire city on Ord Mantell?"

"More likely than the rebels, that's for sure."

"Why don't we ask this one? Hey rebel!" He poked Brendon with his rifle. It definitely hurt. Brendon turned around and faced the two troopers.

"Tell us, did you guys destroy a city on Ord Mantell?" It sounded like the stormtrooper was genuinely interested in the matter rather than an interrogation.

"I'm not a rebel. I didn't do anything wrong, I swear. I'm just an honest, hardworking technician. So was Tank, I swear. I'm not a rebel. Please, I'm not!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough," the second stormtrooper spat. "Turn back round now, you pathetic boy."

"It probably was the Reborn clan, as you say. These boys like him don't go about destroying cities."

The lift stopped. Brendon was glad to get out. The troopers guided him down a flight of stairs, through a corridor and into a small room, which would be considered cosy under normal circumstances. A green carpet was on the floor. Dark green draperies with yellow lines covered the only window in the back of the room. Five comfortable chairs were placed around a basic square table.

"Sit down," ordered the trooper who called himself cadet Mauran.

They waited for a while. Brendon looked down at his feet. They felt light. He was still trying to grasp what had happened. How did they get from trying to blow up obstacles in the air duct to getting arrested and being held captive in some deserted cellar?

After a few minutes a man entered. He was young. Probably in his early twenties. He was Human and stared curiously at the young technician. "Hi there, how are you?" he asked with a smile. It was not a hearty smile, but rather a cold one. He didn't wait for an answer, but instead fired another question. "How do you feel now we've prevented what you were trying to do?" He sat down on a chair opposite Brendon and waited patiently.

Brendon observed him for a bit. He was no ordinary man. He was dressed in some kind of greyish blue cloak, wearing a dark tunic. His hair was dark as night, his eyes pitch black.

"Well, young boy?"

"I… I suppose I'm rather baffled." It flapped out. Brendon silently cursed his own inability to remain calm.

"Baffled?!" echoed the man with a thunderous voice. "Tell, me, Rodian, why are you baffled?"

Brendon swallowed a lump in his throat. "I don't understand… I'm a technician, the air ducts were jammed." The man raised an eyebrow. He made Brendon feel as if every word he said was weighed and considered. "My partner goes to the other side to place the explosives and I was supposed to light the fuse. A short explosion and the air duct would've been clear again."

The man frowned for a moment and scratched his face. "You are serious about this?"

"Yes, of course!"

"You have absolutely no idea why we arrested you?"

"No, I don't." Brendon was sincere. He didn't believe the man to believe him, but somehow he did.

"Fair enough, perhaps you don't know. Bring him in!"

The door opened and two more troopers, one of which was an officer, entered carrying Tank, who was severely wounded.

"Let's ask this second guy," spoke the man.

Tank was put in a chair. He was tied up and shot in the leg. Upon seeing Brendan, he cried, "Boy, I told you to run!"

"Tank, what is going on?" Brendon asked desperately.

"I didn't want this to happen, boy," breathed Tank.

"What did you want to happen, old man?" asked the man with a sneer. "Go on, tell the Rodian what you were planning to do."

Brendon eyed his partner and friend with disbelief.

The old man coughed heavily before he spoke. "The air duct wasn't jammed, Bren… The opportunity was too good to be true."

"What opportunity? What was too good to be true?" the man pushed as he saw the tears on Brendon's face with great joy.

"We could've blown up the government building from there, Bren… We could have avenged your father… We could have killed them all…" He smiled vaguely, as he always did.

"And now that you're caught, about to die… was it worth it?" smirked the man with a new evil in his eyes.

Tank fearlessly stared back at the young man. "It was worth dying for, you Imperial scumbag!"

The young man hit a switch and a lightsaber appeared and filled the room with a yellowish glow. Old Tank laughed as his throat was sliced.

"Nooo!" cried Brendon. He couldn't believe it. Why hadn't Tank told him? Why hadn't he trusted him? He was angry at the Imperial with the lightsaber, yet frightened at the same time.

"And what shall we do with you?" The words were mere components of the chaos assembling in Brendon's head. "I suppose we could spare your life, Rodian. But let this old fool's death serve as an example… No one blows up anything on my watch, rebel! Let your petty rebellious spirits know that Yun will not tolerate ANY insubordination from citizens!"

* * *

"Hold it steady, Jaden!"

"I'm trying, master!" Jaden shouted, but his voice was buried in the rattling noise. He tried to fly the shuttle past the asteroids, but they were coming from everywhere, as if they seemed to be pulled towards the shuttle.

"Damn it, Jaden!" roared Kyle Katarn as another asteroid hit them and caused them to roll over. The ship shook heavily as they finally entered the planet's atmosphere. Several asteroids joined them but fell down instantly. Heat levels increased to critical levels.

"Find a place to land, quick!"

"Yes, master. Only a short distance to the palace."

" _Greetings emissary from Emperor Jerec. We bid you welcome in Palace Gamma. Shuttle bay two is ready for you._ "

"Roger that," replied Jaden. He steered the shuttle across the deserts of Nal Reklum, over the large, rocky hills, which he knew were called 'The Pointy Hills' due to their very spikey shapes. Jaden mentioned this fact to Kyle.

"And what should I care about that?" he spat.

"Well, we might have to enter those hills later on, master." He was right. He liked to briefly do some research on the planets he was going, unlike his master. Kyle mostly just went there and would find out things as he went. He wasn't interested in culture and couldn't care less about the Hutt crime lords that ruled Nal Reklum. Jaden insisted it was better to adapt to their ways for the time they would spend on the planet. Kyle told him those Hutts should instead conform to the rules of the Empire, to which Jaden simply sighed and gave up.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," stated Kyle.

They flew across a savannah and slowly it grew darker. As they entered the night the heat levels dropped to normal. Kyle started to relax a bit.

"Listen, Jaden," he said. "When we get inside the palace, let me do the talking. We don't want another incident like last time."

Jaden hesitated. "Yes, master."

"I sense a lot of confusion within you, my young apprentice." He watched his apprentice for a moment and snorted aggressively. "This time, you will not speak to anyone. Follow my lead."

"Not speak to anyone, master?"

"Not until you learn some sense, damn it!"

Jaden sighed.

"Why can't you just behave like Rosh?" Kyle raged. "Just obey me and follow my lead. How hard can that be?"

"I'm sorry, master."

"You will be if you screw this up. Not that there is a way anyone could screw this up, but you will no doubt find a way."

"Yes, master."

"What was that?!"

"I mean no, master."

Kyle took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for my rage here, Jaden…"

"I didn't mean to let him go, master."

"That's not what Jerec thinks," Kyle said, but this time he sounded more sympathetically. "If Jerec suspects you are being disloyal to him, boy you're going to get it. Just stay with me on this one, okay?"

"Yes, master."

The palace came into sight. A dark silhouette in the cloudless night. It was huge, but it was too dark to see its shape. Bright light shone to indicate the entrance to the shuttle bay assigned to them. Jaden landed according to procedure.

Two stormtroopers greeted them formally and gestured them to follow, which they did. The shuttle bay was very small and the lights had been dimmed the moment they had touched the ground. They were led through a bunch of corridors lit by torches and with a remarkably low ceiling. The walls were dirty, the floor was sandy. They halted in front of a fancy-looking door.

"Lord Katarn, Lord Korr, I present you the great Gamma the Hutt," spoke the stormtrooper as he opened the door. If the sombre looking interior of the corridors was any indication of Gamma's wealth, the newly revealed throne room was the exact opposite. Bright lights welcomed them into a huge ballroom with a high, round ceiling full of ornaments and drawings. There were a bunch of guests and entertainers watching two Twi'lek women dance to some kind of folky tune Kyle had never heard before. Stormtroopers were waiting at each exit, ready to intervene if something went out of hand. All the way to the back of the ballroom was a huge throne with a slimy slug on top.

Jaden and Kyle stepped forward confidently, pushing aside guests as they went. The room went silent. The guests seemed annoyed and looked at the stormtroopers, who didn't move. The Hutt slowly seemed to understand who they were and instantly smiled at them.

"Welcome, my dearest emissaries from Emperor Jerec. You are very welcome to my humble domain." His voice boomed through the silent ballroom.

"Well, well," spoke Kyle Katarn. "A Hutt that speaks Basic… That's not something you hear very often."

"I like to make good friends with Emperor Jerec. We here are very loyal to Emperor Jerec."

Kyle was a bit annoyed already with the limited grammar at the Hutt's disposal. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? You sent a message to Jerec saying you have information on the Reborn clan which you had to tell in person. Cough it up."

"Yes, I hope Emperor Jerec will not be disappointed. As I said in message, there's cave in Pointy Hills. One of my scout riders discovered their symbol." The slug stopped and awaited approval. It didn't come, but he did not continue.

"Their… symbol?" Kyle raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes upward. "The Reborn don't have a symbol. You called us all the way here for nothing!"

"Wait!" begged Gamma the Hutt. "Here is evidence." He shouted something in Huttese towards someone in the back of the ballroom. Kyle and Jaden turned around. A Toydarian and a Gran nodded and left the room. "You Jedi will now see that Gamma is good, loyal friend to Emperor Jerec." The Hutt smiled contently.

It took a few uneasy minutes for the pair to return with a small device.

"Scout rider always have recording device on rider," Gamma explained. The Toydarian took the grey device towards the Jedi and pressed a button hidden from Kyle's sight. A beam of light appeared and projected a hologram on the ground. It was a recording from the mentioned scout rider's patrol. The landscape slid quickly in and out of view. At first sand flew by, but more and more and bigger rocks as well. Kyle assumed the rider then decreased his movement speed, for the hologram slowed down in pace. It held still in front of a cave. The white suit of the scout appeared into view as its owner stepped forward and stood in front of the cave for a while. He was hesitating to enter it, but instead scrutinised the outside of the cave. He found something odd on the rocks, for he drew closer to a place near the wall. The scout walked back to his rider, apparently disconnecting the recording device from the rider, and brought it closer to the symbol. Kyle could now have a good look at it. The symbol featured a lightsaber crystal, which emitted a bright light. It was surrounded by a variety of shapes, mostly of plants. But there was no mistaking it, the letters 'R' and 'B' were visible. Suddenly the camera shook, as if the scout was surprised. The camera was turned at the entrance of the cave, but the cave was too dark for the recording device to reveal its secrets. The recording had no sound, but suddenly a bright bar of energy, very reminiscent to a lightsaber, appeared inside the cave. The device had been turned off.

"Does that clarify things?" inquired the Hutt.

"Yes, it does," Kyle confirmed pensively. "What happened to the scout?"

"The scout fled and came back with the recording."

"Hmm…" The Dark Jedi seemed hesitant to buy the story. He felt Jaden's impatience, but was glad that his apprentice did not speak. "It might be worth checking out. We're here now after all. You did well, Gamma. I shall forward my recommendations to the Emperor."

"Glad to be of service," Gamma humbly replied. He gestured for the music to continue with his left hand, while his right hand ordered a stormtrooper to come near. "This good soldier will show you to cave!"

* * *

Kyle looked back to see if Jaden was still following. When he saw that he was, he looked forward again. The trooper didn't speak, didn't communicate. All he had done when they left the palace was ride. Gamma was kind enough to lend them a pair of riders. He even offered them two separate rooms for the night, but Kyle kindly refused, insisting that they had to move in the night, to avoid the extreme heat.

Gradually, the landscape became more rough and the trooper led them to a higher terrain. In the distance, the Pointy Hills came into sight. A strange greenish light seemed to glow around them. Kyle wondered if that was normal with these hills, but didn't want to ask Jaden, because it was tantamount to admitting Jaden's research was useful. Not that it wasn't, but Kyle didn't like him to be a know-it-all.

The trooper slowed down and halted before a slope that led up to the mountains.

"Up here and then somewhere to the back," he said briefly.

"Are you not coming with us?" demanded Kyle, who halted next to him.

"Sir, you are not getting me anywhere near those hills." Without another word, the trooper turned around and rode his way back. Kyle was baffled.

Jaden, who only now arrived at the hills, decided to speak for the first time since they left the shuttle. "Where is he going?"

"Mister Brave-pants is going to look for his mother." The Dark Jedi shook his head. "Can you believe it? And they are supposed to guard the empire…"

Jaden got off his rider and climbed the slope. Kyle looked backwards one more time at the fleeing trooper, before he decided to join his apprentice. "I'll make sure he gets fired! Or worse."

As they reached the hills, a strange smell entered their nostrils. Kyle couldn't decide whether it was sulphur or ozone. He glanced sideways at Jaden, who seemed to smile to himself. Kyle guessed he probably recognised something from his readings and rolled his eyes. He had to resist temptation to ask explanation about the smell.

"Can I tell you a fun fact?" Jaden asked hopefully.

"If you must." He was relieved he didn't have to ask.

"Did you know these hills are a source for lightsaber crystals? Apparently, due to the enormous heat during daytime, the crystals inside the hills reach a temperature high enough to liquefy, much like lightsaber blades."

"Hence the ozone smell…"

"Exactly. I knew you wanted to hear this." Jaden seemed content.

"Don't be too full of yourself, Jaden."

"I won't, master." Jaden chuckled.

"I mean it. Don't. It's annoying."

"I understand, master."

"This must be the cave." The two came to a halt in front of an opening in the hills. Kyle examined the sides in search of the logo. It was nowhere to be found. "Perhaps this isn't the same cave…"

Jaden turned around. He felt alarmed. "Master."

Kyle looked up. He sensed it too. "According to the recording, this is supposed to be the cave. Unless they all look the same…" He uttered not what he thought of.

Jaden scanned the surroundings, but could not see what was worrying him. "Inside the cave, master?"

"No, it's a trap!"

He had barely said it when suddenly out of nowhere two figures jumped in front of them with activated lightsabers in hand. They seemed to be wearing the exact same outfit, dressed in red hooded robes under a brownish tunic of some sort. One was Human, the other was Kel Dor.

"Surrender, Jedi," the Human said in a soft, aggressive voice. She pointed the red blade at Jaden's throat. Jaden was ready to surrender, but Kyle had different intentions. With all his might he assembled Force energy and pushed it to their assaulters. The blow made them fall backwards a long way, giving Jaden and Kyle enough time to draw their sabers and prepare for a fight.

Two more attackers appeared behind them with the same dress code. Another Kel Dor and a Zabrak. Without speech Jaden and Kyle divided the opponents, with Kyle turning backwards and Jaden turning to the ones who had fallen, and by now risen again.

Kyle swung his saber backwards while jumping in the air to avoid being sliced in two. Sparks flew as the sabers clashed. He landed on top of the cave, having gained the high ground. He hoped the attackers would be stupid enough to attempt to follow him, but they weren't. Instead they ran around the cave and came from both Kyle's left and right side. He rolled forward, causing them to clash their sabers together. He extended his left leg and tackled the Zabrak, who fell and rolled down the hill for a bit. The Kel Dor noticed his disadvantage, but lunged his saber at Kyle, who had just come to his feet again. He blocked and forced the Kel Dor's saber to the left, allowing himself to spin leftwards and kick his opponent over. Kyle knew better than to dive at the lying Kel Dor, and instead turned around to block the brutish attempt by the Zabrak, who growled devilishly. Kyle frowned with disgust at the behaviour of his adversary. He aimed for his arm, which was blocked, but they briefly engaged in a saberlock. A moment Kyle exploited by punching the attacker in the face. Just as he wanted to finish the Zabrak, Kyle had to duck in order to avoid a swing from the Kel Dor. His quick reflexes allowed Kyle to turn around while ducked and cut off the Kel Dor's legs. With terrible shrieks he went down and Kyle was quick to end his pain. The Zabrak only became more persistent. He jumped in the air, ready to strike, but Kyle merely smirked. Finally, his attacker did seem stupid enough to not notice Kyle still had the high ground. As the Zabrak was about to land, Kyle effortlessly cut off a few of his limbs. He finished him not long after.

He ran up the hill and looked down where Jaden was still fighting his two attackers. He jumped down to help him, but felt another disturbance coming from the cave itself. Kyle landed on the ground, but focused his attention on the cave instead.

"Hold your arms, Kyle Katarn," a deep voice commanded.

"Show yourself!"

"As you wish."

From the darkness of the cave emerged a tall silhouette. The man was of the Chistori race, wearing a dark metal breastplate over a grey-bluish variant of the cloth the others wore. A blue skin mark fell over his large, reptilian nose.

"Desann…," murmured Kyle in disbelief. What was the arch enemy of Jerec's Empire doing here? It seemed too easy.

"Kyle Katarn in the flesh," Desann smirked as he slowly moved sideways. "So Jerec has sent his right hand to the outer world of Nal Reklum? I'm surprised he didn't send some useless brute such as Maw. I would've liked to encounter him again."

"Your rebellion will end here, you overgrown Kowakian monkey-lizard," spat Kyle. They both moved in circles around each other.

"Rebellion? End? I have no rebellion you can end. I am planning revolution, you short-headed Human. And I'd love to see you try to end it. But what do you know, I won't give you the opportunity."

"Then you should not have shown your ugly face here!" Kyle activated his saber again and jumped at Desann, who jumped aside.

"Save your energy, fool!" Desann assembled Force energy and launched it at Katarn, who caught it and managed to aim it at the ground. An explosion of sand resulted. Kyle coughed and tried to clear the sand from his eyes. "Now you are blind, if only temporary," continued Desann. The Chistori again called upon the Force to push the unsuspecting Kyle, and this time he was successful.

Instead of jumping at Katarn to try to finish him, Desann turned to Jaden, who was forced to the ground by his two attackers. As soon as he saw Desann he stopped resisting. The Human pointed her saber at Jaden's throat, while the Kel Dor used the break to seize his own arm, which featured a few cuts.

"Desann… you!" Jaden shouted in anger.

"Jaden, my friend," Desann greeted his former fellow padawan.

"I'm not your friend, traitor!"

" _I_ 'm a traitor? Look at you, Jaden. You've joined the dark side of the Force. I know Master Na-quam would rather have died."

"Don't judge me!"

"I still respect you, Jaden." Desann cleared his throat. "Oh, Kathra, Rel Mook, take care of the other one, I'll take it from here." The Human and the Kel Dor turned their attention towards Kyle, who was coming their way once more. As their sabers clashed and their battle began, Desann turned to Jaden again. "So, where was I… oh yes, I still respect you, Jaden. For old time's sake."

"Where does that get me?" spat Jaden.

"The Jaden I knew would never turn to the dark side. What happened?"

Jaden kept silent.

"Fine," concluded Desann slightly annoyed. "If you don't want to talk with your friend so near, perhaps you should come with me." He kicked Jaden's saber, which was somewhere on the ground, to his owner. Jaden immediately got up and activated his saber, threatening to strike Desann down. "Will you kill me, Jaden? Your best friend?"

"You turned to the dark side!" whispered Jaden.

Desann looked at Jaden with a strange kind of curiosity. "And you did not?"

A cry of pain pulled their attention to the ongoing fight. Rel Mook, the Kel Dor, had just lost his left arm. Kyle had more trouble with Kathra, whose acrobatics made her hard to hit.

"Damned woman!" growled Kyle.

Desann turned to Jaden again. "Come with me, Jaden!"

Jaden looked at his old friend. He was hesitating, frightened. "I.. I can't!" He deactivated his saber and walked away from Desann.

"Kathra, Rel, we're leaving!" grunted Desann as he went back into the cave. The Human quickly followed him, leaving Kyle standing alone.

"Cowards!" Kyle shouted. He tried to follow them into the cave, but the entrance was quickly sealed. "I'll have these hills blown up by a Battle Cruiser!" He spat at the entrance. "Jaden! Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Jaden was walking away from the hills in a steady pace until Kyle's shout made him halt.

"Jaden! Damn it…" It took a while until Kyle caught up with him. "You're forgetting your rider," he joked. His smile disappeared when he saw Jaden's face. He looked pale and distressed. Kyle sensed a lot of confusion within him. "What's wrong, Jaden?"

"Nothing, master."

"Rubbish. Tell me. What's the matter? What did Desann do to you?"

Jaden hesitated a while. "H.. he tried to convince me to come with him. Because we used to be friends…"

"And you said what?" Kyle seemed alarmed.

"I'm still here, am I not?" He gave a soft smile.

"Why did you let him get away? Why didn't you slice off his lizard face?"

Jaden couldn't answer this. He honestly wasn't sure at all of any of his decisions. Seeing Desann again had brought up memories of times before the darkness.

"Damn it, Jaden, you're a worthless Dark Jedi… Come on, let's get the hell out of here." Without further hesitation, Kyle mounted his rider and took off.

"Yes, master," mumbled Jaden.

Suddenly he felt his head spin.

" _Jaden_ ," Desann's voice sounded. " _Jaden, I know you can hear me. I know that you have doubts. I know why you let go that rebel in Barons Hed. Don't ask me how. I just know. I will drop another clue for you and Kyle to find me. It will be your last chance to join me. I don't want to kill you, Jaden, but if you choose to remain with those betrayers of the Force, you leave me no choice. It's up to you._ "

Jaden felt dizzy and fell to the ground.


	3. Chapter II

Times had changed. And it wasn't just another Empire that pressed on everyone's mood. It was the way things had changed. The spirit of celebration, the feeling of victorious revolution, they were crushed brutally. The deaths of Mon Mothma, Leia Organa, General Madine, Luke Skywalker, and Master Petiimark, amongst others, weighed heavily on the citizens' will for rebellion. All the trouble they had gone through to rid the galaxy of Emperor Palpatine had seemed in vain.

Han Solo, former General in the New Republic, was once again downgraded to a prominent figure of the assumed rebellion. But was there really a true rebellion this time? Han walked through the hallways. He didn't even know what kind of building this was. All he knew was that it was abandoned by anything Empire, and therefore it would suffice. As he reached a long, wide corridor, he was joined by Wedge Antilles, leader of Rogue Squadron, and Rilus Artem, a former officer in the New Republic with a strategic mind. He briefly touched the tip of his army hat to greet them. Without speaking to each other they walked side by side to the end of the corridor, where a large door opened for them. It revealed a large, circular room, filled with chairs of varying form and quality. The door closed behind them.

"We are the first," muttered Han, somewhat surprised and worried. The chamber held a sober ambience. The walls were bare and blank. It had obviously been abandoned for some time. Wedge and Rilus had started to organise the chairs in a circle.

After a few minutes the door opened again and a few more men walked in. Han recognised most of them. He nodded to former Admiral Ackbar, he faintly smiled at Jedi Master Na-quam, he shook the hand of Captain Thuk Keen, and he embraced his friend Chewbacca.

"Good to see you, Chewy," he said with a faint smile. The Wookiee returned a few roars. "Yeah, I know, I look like crap. So do you, by the way." Chewbacca roared a bit more until he decided to find a seat too.

A soft murmur had started to fill the room. Han looked at all who had come. He could not find one particular someone. Han was unsure whether this man was willing to commit himself again anyway. Master Na-quam had assured him he would understand the importance of the matter. Well of course he would. That was not at all what Han was worried about.

The doors opened once more and a single man walked in. He had dark skin, mid-long wavy hair combed backwards, a thick moustache, and a peculiar grin on his face.

"Lando!" Han exclaimed as he approached the man with open arms.

"Han, old buddy," Lando replied as he greeted his old friend.

"I almost didn't think you would come..."

"Me? Han, my boy, of course I would come. Anything to try to rid the galaxy of this monstrous regime." With a chuckle, he added, "After my brief involvement last time, Bespin started to become boring anyway." His face became serious as he looked Han straight in the eye. "I'm sorry about Leia, buddy."

Han nodded. "Have a seat." He gestured towards the circle of chairs, which featured only two vacant seats. Han and Lando quickly sat down. Han looked at Master Na-quam and pointed at his chrono. The grey-haired Jedi Master nodded and cleared his throat. The mere sight of him was depressing. Master Theonel Na-quam always had a sceptical look on his face, and wore dark grey robes that fit his mildly long hair, and his thick, grey goatee.

"May I have your attention, please?" he began. The murmur stopped immediately. This was what they had come for. Master Na-quam rose. "Thank you all for coming. It wasn't easy to find a location suitable for this… meeting, if you will, but I'm glad and proud that so many have answered to our call."

"Anything to free the galaxy," stated Wedge Antilles. The others nodded and murmured in agreement.

"Yes, thank you," smiled Na-quam. "We have gone down in numbers. Many have died. Many suffer from a broken spirit. It is our task to reinvigorate the people's spirit. We must reform the rebellion!"

The people in the circle shifted uneasily in their chairs, some of them expressing their fear, others cheering in favour of the statement.

"All good and well," said Admiral Ackbar as he rose from his seat. "But what is the plan? We cannot leave the planet. Jerec has got us pinned down on Coruscant. We cannot call to arms here."

"It's true," Captain Thuk Keen, a Kel Dor former officer for the New Republic, agreed. "All traffic from and to the planet is prohibited until further notice. There's no way we would stand a chance here."

"I spoke with a young boy named Brendon Awkismo," said an old man, whom Han knew to be a former Senator from Naboo. "He spoke of a Jedi who had killed his elderly friend. Apparently the Emperor has trainees in the arts of the Force in charge of the anti-rebellion squad!"

"If that is true, what chance do we have, really?" a Togruta woman in black shouted.

"Calm down, people!" Na-quam thundered impatiently. "Don't put the focus on the things that can't be done. Don't look at the difficulties. Remember how we destroyed the Death Star? Remember how we freed Coruscant? Do you remember how that felt? Try to recall that feeling of victory. We must stop Jerec!" He briefly looked around the circle before he continued. "What chance do we have? A good question, my dear Anda, a good question indeed. This young girl here" – he gestured to the person in the chair next to him – "is exactly the chance we stand."

The girl rose from the chair and allowed them all to gaze at her with a mixture of awe and curiosity. She was Human. Her skin was pale. Her hair was of the blackest black, but her eyes were the brightest green.

"This is Vidomina," continued Na-quam. "Even though she is only sixteen years old, she is one of many padawan learners I have personally escorted away from Yavin IV the day Jerec ravished the Academy. The younglings are all safe on a hidden location, but I have brought three older padawans with me to Coruscant. They grow the longer the stronger. Last time you had only one Jedi on your side, shame on me for having been in exile… But this time, we have a small army of upcoming Jedi."

"Wait a minute," interrupted Lando Calrissian. "Are you saying you are willing to use these kids in a full-fledged fight? They are children!"

"Yes, mister Calrissian, they are children. But I assure you that the older ones are very skilled in battle. If you remain adamant about not letting them fight, please offer an alternative."

"I agree with the smuggler," concluded the woman referred to as Anda. "It's no wonder the Jedi Order had exiled you all those years ago if you come up with ideas like these!" A few people jumped up and shouted at her for her words, while others jumped up and in turn started shouting at those people.

"Everybody shut up!" roared Han. The room fell silent instantly. "If we start fighting amongst ourselves we are doomed. It's not a matter of how we're going to fight. But let us agree now to fight until the very end! I am not going to sit still and see how the murderer of Leia, of Mon Mothma, of freedom will thrive! I won't lie down!" His voice was quivering with emotion. "It's irrelevant how Jedi padawans are going to be useful in this war. What matters is that they are children and youngsters whose home has been taken away by the same entity that swallowed up your freedom! And they are willing to fight! They are willing to fight to retain their Academy! I'd rather go to battle with fifteen dedicated teens that with fifty frightened veterans." He paused for a moment. Han continued with a calmer tone. "I do not want to force you to join the rebellion. I called upon you all because I believed in you. You were all present when Palpatine fell. If you want to be part of this, please sign up on this datapad." He took a datapad from his pocket and handed it to Lando. "Sign it or leave it blank. Pass it on." Han took his seat again and stared at the floor.

When the datapad was handed back to him by the person to his right, which was Rilus, Han hesitated to look at the amount of signatures.

"Relax, buddy," Lando smiled encouragingly. "We're all with you."

* * *

"Don't lie to me, Katarn. Our relationship is based on mutual trust. It is one of your weaknesses that needs to be eliminated as soon as possible. I know you've taken a liking on Jaden. He's sympathetic, I agree. But he's either incredibly clumsy or a downright traitor!"

"Yes, master."

"I see more than normal people do, Katarn. I know more than the average person in the galaxy. I sense a lot of confusion within young Jaden Korr and it's having an effect on you."

"How, master?"

"Perhaps your judgement is clouded. You're covering up for him. But you must not forget I see more than you can imagine."

"Yes, master."

Jerec allowed himself a smile.

Kyle looked up at the Emperor's empty eye sockets and the leather strap bound in front of them.

Jerec gestured Kyle to rise. "Retreat to the lounge, Katarn. I have no orders for you at the moment."

"As you wish, my master." Kyle bowed and left the quarters.

Jerec walked back to his desk and sat down. He had only one possession on it. A strange bowl filled with different geometric shapes. He reached in it, removed a touchstone from the bowl, and popped it in his mouth. A flavour of fruity liquorice filled his mouth when Boc entered.

"Ah," uttered the Twi'lek when he saw the satisfactory look on his master's face. "Got lucky again, master?"

"My favourite, Boc," Jerec replied with a pleasant grin on his face. "Another sign that nothing can avoid my evident power. Not even ever-changing touchstones. Here, try one." He gestured towards the bowl. Boc hated this. It was one of those mind tricks his master used to play. You couldn't refuse. So, in order to get it over with quickly, Boc reached inside the bowl, got hold of a touchstone, and put it in his mouth. He quickly spit it out when the taste of Bantha poo tainted his mouth.

Jerec burst into a sadistic sort of laughter. "Some things never get old, isn't that so, my dear Boc?"

* * *

Confused, Kyle had hastened himself to the lounge, as commanded. The lounge was quite a large and luxuriously decorated room in the southern wing of Jerec's government building of choice. Instead of simply taking residence on Coruscant, the new Emperor had chosen to remain on Edusa and expand his mansion instead. Kyle sat down comfortably on a red velvet luxurious chair and stared out the window. The entire outside wall was made of transparisteel, with a beautiful view on Edusa's fertile and hilly landscape. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling and all the walls were of the whitest white, with golden highlights.

Kyle was soon joined by two others. He recognised the voices of Rosh and Jaden as they came nearer. They were arguing over something, but as soon as they noticed Kyle, they went silent.

"What was that all about?" demanded Kyle.

"Nothing serious, master," replied Jaden.

"You're lying." Kyle wasn't born yesterday. He sensed the alarming distress within Rosh. "Rosh, tell me what's wrong."

Rosh was usually a very chatty, nervous boy. He had dark spiky hair, and liked to boast about the powers he had gained since becoming Boc's apprentice, but right now, he was surprisingly silent. The padawan first looked at Jaden with a sense of doubt, still alarmed, and then at the floor. "Nothing, master, just a childish disagreement."

"Your passionate feelings betray you, Rosh," spat Kyle.

Rosh jumped up as Boc walked into the lounge to join them.

"Am I interrupting something?" Boc inquired teasingly. He always enjoyed feuds and liked to fire them up. When all remained silent, he continued, disappointed, "Rosh, we have another assignment. Come!"

Just as they were about to leave, Kyle said, "Boc, get that boy to loosen his tongue. Something is on his mind."

Boc looked at Rosh for a bit, tried to sense his mind and seemed to agree. "It's time you tell your master all about your tiny little secrets on this glorious mission, little maggot!" He forcefully removed Rosh and himself from the lounge.

"I think you can be glad that you're my apprentice and not Boc's," smirked Kyle.

Jaden remained silent, but Kyle knew he was grateful for it indeed. Boc was rather moody by nature and only made jokes when they made others look like a fool. Kyle was more sympathetic, could even be your friend, while also retaining a respectable status.

"What was wrong with Rosh?" Kyle demanded while staring out the window, sliding a small piece of chocolate in his mouth.

Jaden was hesitant to answer, and eventually remained silent.

"Well?"

"I don't know, master…" The answer seemed one of agitation.

"Why the cover up? You know that there's no room for secrets here, Jaden."

"I know, master. But I don't know what's bothering him. He was just very aggravated. I couldn't do anything right for him."

Kyle turned towards his apprentice and gave him an investigating look. "Jaden, you know I respect you, right?" Jaden nodded. "And you know you can tell me anything, right?" Another nod. Kyle turned back towards the window. "I trust you tell us when Rosh is up to no good."

"Yes, master."

* * *

Yun allowed himself a smile. There he stood, on the bridge of a stationary defensive war turret, the first of its kind. Below him a dozen operators were scattered across various posts, awaiting his command. He let his hand feel the leather of the big stool that was actually his to sit on, yet he preferred an active pose. He enjoyed the position of power he was in. He needed but turn around to sense the fear coming from his minions.

"We're awaiting your order, sir," repeated Lieutenant Bint. He was half-certain that Yun had forgotten about the matter at hand after ten minutes of silence, yet he was half-afraid for a non-necessary reminder, in case he hadn't. The commander did not respond. Hesitatingly, the officer looked around at his fellow operators, one of which lifted his shoulders. After five months of intensive working, they finally had a good chance that the war turret they had built was functional. All they needed was a testing opportunity, but they knew not what Yun was waiting for.

"I'm aware, Lieutenant." Yun knew he had to wait. Explaining it to his minions would be a waste of time. Somehow he knew the perfect target was yet to arrive, even though he was curious to see what it was.

Then suddenly the moment was there. A small craft flew towards the planet from the atmosphere. "FIRE!" boomed Yun. He didn't know why. All he knew was that the craft had to be shot down. The Lieutenant waved his hand and the war turret charged itself up only to release a powerful beam of bright, pure energy at the craft, which exploded instantly.

"Target destroyed, sir!" reported a low tier operator. Cheers followed.

"Sir!" shouted another operator. "The radar shows three life forms having survived the blow and landing somewhere on the planet."

"Where? Of what nature?" demanded Yun.

"Their nature is impossible to tell, sir. But they landed on top of the Goiba Tech Industry building."

"Catch them! I want a full search for these three intruders!" yelled the Dark Jedi.

"But sir, by the time our nearest troops have reached them they could be anywhere!"

"I don't care. Get them and send squadrons there! I will also go there myself!" Yun stormed towards the exit door, which opened with a swoosh.

"What's gotten into him?" asked a non-com when the Jedi was gone.

But what Yun felt could not be explained. He sensed something was wrong and it was crucial that these three people were intercepted. He hurried all the way to the back of the turret building and entered his speeder. Without too much hesitation he flew through the air towards the spot where the craft had been destroyed. The ignorant civilians were all terrified and in shock, but Yun could not care less. He approached a large building that read "Goiba Tech"on the side, and headed for the roof. Yun parked the speeder effortlessly, being quite a pilot, jumped out and scanned the roof. It was completely deserted. There was a staircase that went down, so Yun followed it.

The stairs were long. It took at least a couple of minutes before Yun could take a turn and enter the Industry building proper. He looked around. Ahead of him were huge ovens, large piles of some kind of metal, and a couple of employees. They appeared frightened, but Yun wasn't certain on which side they were.

"Where did they go?" he demanded.

"To the lower floors, where the offices are!" was the answer. Without hesitation, Yun hurried towards the door that was pointed at and disappeared through it. Another flight of stairs. Yun descended it and entered some kind of corridor with multiple offices. The corridor was deserted. Yun stopped for a minute. He needed to sense where they had gone to. He had to concentrate and become one with the Force for just a few seconds. Yun closed his eyes.

He felt something poke in his back and when he turned around he saw someone cross the hallway. Without a thought Yun ran towards the figure, but when he got close to the spot, someone jumped in front of him.

"The Force betrays you!" sounded a soft, feminine voice. The woman activated a lightsabre, which filled the air with the smell of ozone and a reddish gleam. She wore a red robe under a brownish sort of tunic.

Yun didn't pause for a moment. He assembled Force energy quickly and used it to push her away. With an enormous force the woman was blown backwards. Her head hit the wall and she needed a minute to recuperate. Yun did not provide her with time. He activated his yellow sabre, and, with a hum, he was ready to end her life.

From behind a voice shouted, "No, Chadrina!" Yun turned around and blocked an attack from a pale-skinned Twi'lek. "The Force betrays you," he hissed. Yun kicked him away with ease.

"What's up with those cheesy taunts?" he remarked as he walked toward the Twi'lek with a threatening pose. He blocked a few more careful attacks from the Twi'lek, but quickly found a gap and kicked him over. Meanwhile, the woman attacked him from behind. Yun blocked in time, but lost his balance nevertheless. He received a blow against his head from the Twi'lek, who got up immediately. Yun could not get up. Two lightsabres pointed at his head.

"Now you're going to listen to us, you abomination of the Force!" hissed the Twi'lek.

"Yent, troopers!" shouted the woman. There was no time to take or kill Yun. Stormtroopers appeared on one side of the hallway and started shooting. The Twi'lek wasn't quick enough and fell lifeless to the ground as several blaster shots hit him. Chadrina swore and retreated to the other end of the corridor.

"Get her!" commanded Yun as he got up. An ache in his head caused him to pause for a moment.

"Are you alright, sir?" informed the stormofficer.

Yun nodded. "Let's go." There was time for recovery only when these three souls were either dead or captured. He sprinted to the spot where the intruders had turned around the corner. He jumped down a flight of stairs, pushed aside the stormtroopers who were in pursuit and came to a junction. They could either have gone down another flight of stairs, or into this floor. The troopers had caught up with him.

"Alright, let's split up," was the order. The troopers did as commanded.

Yun didn't pay attention to them. He closed his eyes and tried to let his senses guide him. He turned around and saw the ventilation shaft. The lid wasn't sealed.

"Into the ventilation shaft!" he shouted at the soldiers. But before any of them could respond, Yun had already removed the lid and crawled inside. He could feel their presence in there. They sent ripples through the Force. Yun knew they had to be captured. He had seen their clothing. They were from the Reborn clan, Yun was sure of it. Terrorists. Scum. The shaft took a turn and Yun spotted a way out. It was used, so he crawled through the hole and landed in a generator room. He fell forward and landed on his back.

"Got ya!" shouted the woman as she pointed her lightsabre at Yun's throat. Yun tried to find a way out of his position, but there simply wasn't. She put her foot on his sabre hand and gently squashed it.

"What are you waiting for?" Yun growled while trying to hide his pain. "Kill me!"

"Oh please," Chadrina nagged. "Begging for death makes you even more pathetic than you already are." A hood covered her head, and some odd kind of goggles covered her eyes.

"So what? If you leave me alive it will be the end of you!" Yun spat.

"If you kill me, I only become one with the Force."

"Please don't bore me with your strange philosophies."

"Forgive me," interrupted Chadrina. "But it is you who hold strange philosophies, massacring Jedi the way you did!"

Yun rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, I remember now. You Reborn people only kill those who can't feel the Force. So what will you do with me now?"

"Not quite. But I'm not really comfortable chatting and explaining right now. Your stormtroopers are drawing near. Forgive me." With one swift movement she knocked Yun unconscious and took off.


	4. Chapter III

Kyle woke up in the middle of the night. Nights on Edusa were long. Longer than he liked, actually. Jerec had given him a room near the east wing of the palace, with a view on the palace gardens. A pleasant feature during daytime, Kyle had to admit that. Unfortunately, the garden's huge flowers attracted nasty parasites and Kyle had forgotten to close the window. Now they kept him from sleeping.

He saw one of them resting on the wall. They were about the size of a Human fist, had four wings on their backs, and they carried a nasty sting. One sting from these parasites and you could be paralysed for weeks. Kyle looked at the insect and felt the Force. After a few seconds, the little beast fell down. But there were more. Kyle got out of bed and turned on the light. Most of them instantly took off and fled through the window. Some were killed by a lightsabre.

Suddenly the door was opened. Kyle looked at the opening and saw the Emperor. He quickly assumed a straight posture.

"Master, what brings you to my quarters at this time of night?"

Jerec entered the room and looked around as if searching for something. "I heard violence in here. Why were you playing around with your sabre?"

"Oh, just some of those nasty stingers, Master. Nothing to worry about." Kyle headed back to his bed, even though he wasn't tired anymore.

"They didn't sting you, did they?" Kyle was not certain if Jerec was genuinely worried or just pretending to be.

"No, I'm alright."

"Good." Jerec walked some more around the room. He had something to say, Kyle was sure. The Emperor was, after all, a blind man, who would instantly sense where to go if he really searched for something. Especially since he had absorbed the powers of the Valley of the Jedi, Jerec rarely had trouble finding what he needed through the Force. Kyle just had to wait until the man came to the point.

Eventually, Jerec spoke again. "I just received a report from Coruscant. Apparently, Yun has made contact with a small group of Reborn terrorists."

This pulled Kyle's attention. "Reborn? Is he sure?"

"He is absolutely certain."

Kyle shook up. "Then I must go to Coruscant!"

"No. Since they are terrorists, Yun will deal with them accordingly. I've sent Maw to help him. I have a different assignment for you and Jaden."

"Let's hear it." Kyle was pretty surprised, but the Emperor's will was most important.

"Our troops have managed to kill one of the terrorists after their landing. He carried a message which is of the greatest importance to us. It is directed at a Reborn group on Coruscant, and it mentions Desann's current location. According to what we know, he is something of a leader, so that is why I'm sending you in. Take Jaden with you and go to the Katraasii system in the Outer Rim. In the capital's spaceport you will find Desann. Do not let him get away. If Jaden manages to mess this up, he must be killed. Understood?"

"Yes, Master. He will help me destroy Desann or be killed."

"Good." Jerec smiled contently. "Now on your way. You can finish your nap during the trip."

* * *

Kyle found Jaden in the hangar. Apparently he was already set for take-off.

"Come on, Master! We haven't a second to lose." He smiled. Kyle looked at him with a sense of disbelief, but eventually just shrugged and entered the _Raven's Claw_. Jaden had assumed position behind the flight controls and effortlessly started the ships repulsor engines and left the hangar.

As soon as they had left Edusa's atmosphere, another ship soared by. Kyle recognised the ship.

"Hey, that's the _Muted Bantha_!" Kyle mumbled surprisedly. Boc liked to give his ships strange names. "What the blazes is Boc doing back here so soon? Hold on, Jaden, I'll contact him."

"No, Master!" Jaden responded quickly. "Emperor Jerec will deal with him. We must make the jump to hyperspace now! Desann cannot escape again."

Kyle scrutinised his apprentice with curiosity. "All right, then."

* * *

Na-quam felt someone pulling his sleeve.

"Yes, Vidomina, what is it?"

"Master, Han is here to discuss something with you."

"With us, Vidomina. You and the others are as much a part of it." He smiled. Vidomina nodded and smiled nervously. "Relax, Vidomina. Do not regret coming with me to Coruscant. Allow yourself to be balanced by the Force."

"I'm just a bit worried about my sister, Master."

"Aine will be fine. They are safe. Do not forget I have successfully hidden in that place for at least a decade or two."

Vidomina nodded again and a bit more convincingly.

"Now, fetch the others and join us in the living room."

As the girl went off to find the other padawans, Na-quam headed into the living quarters, where Han Solo, Wedge Antilles, Admiral Ackbar and Anda Megandi were already seated.

"Quite a nice place you have found, Master Jedi," remarked Wedge as he looked around with a smile.

"I have a few connections, when it comes to the anti-Imperial hotel owners," Na-quam smirked as he sat himself down. Soon after, Vidomina joined them, together with two other teen padawans. Na-quam quickly introduced them all to each other, identifying the Rodian padawan as Robuk, and the green-skinned Twi'lek as Nebba.

"Down to business," concluded Han after shaking hands with the padawans. He took a small holoprojector from his backpack and activated it on the table. A hologram of a hangar emerged from the device. "This is the hangar bay owned by a private business owner called Padora Hames. It is located a few blocks to the Northeast. Inside we can find something of interest." He pressed a button and the hologram seemed to zoom in until a brand new hologram emerged; that of a freighter. "This freighter is the only ship nearby to be able to carry all of us at the same time."

"I find that hard to believe," said Anda with a frown.

"It could be true," Na-quam replied. "Imperial forces have taken control of most private vessels large enough to carry large amounts of cargo. Most business owners need to rent one from the Empire now."

"Exactly," Han confirmed. "But for some reason Padora has successfully retained her license to keep a freighter in her possession. It is either that or we'd have to try Imperial channels."

"That would not be preferable," Ackbar concluded. "I suggest we make contact with this Padora Hames and see what her loyalties are."

"But who would do that?" Han said while thinking.

"Wouldn't that alarm her and the authorities?" asked Vidomina. The others looked up in curiosity at the words of the young padawan.

"Why would you say that?" Anda informed.

"Well, if she's about the only person in the neighbourhood with a license to own a freighter, I would think her loyalties are with the Empire. Wouldn't it be better if we would infiltrate her place and borrow the vessel without her knowledge?"

"Perhaps…," Han replied thoughtfully. "But in that case we need to be absolutely sure that the freighter is operational. And there can be no failure or the Imperials would be on to us. They have no official record of our presence here yet, which we should use to our advantage."

"I do agree with the Jedi girl," Anda added. "But blind assault would attract too much attention. We would first need an informant on the inside who could confirm that this ship is indeed the one we need."

"Just to have an estimation," inquired Ackbar. "If this ship should not prove useful, where else can we find a transport close by?"

There was a short silence, in which everybody thought about it

"We have two unlikely options," Han answered eventually. "We either go with legal public transport and risk detection, or we raid the Imperial hangars to the West."

"So we need an informant," concluded Wedge. "It must be someone unknown to the Empire. We are all on their most wanted list. Who is without a criminal record and is someone we can trust?"

"Should we use a droid?" suggested Ackbar.

"Too risky," uttered Han while resting his head in his hands.

"What about us?" asked Vidomina.

"What about you?"

The young Padawan looked around confidently. "We don't have a criminal record, right, Master?"

Na-quam looked up from his pensive stare at the ground and, slowly, a smile grew on his face. "Yes, that's it! One of the padawans would have the advantage of being unknown to the Empire! Master Petiimark destroyed the Jedi archives when we evacuated the Academy."

Han looked at Anda and exchanged doubtful looks. "Suppose you'd go in, Vidomina, are you absolutely sure and confident that you are up to the task?"

"Yes, sir."

Han nodded absently. Was he to allow a young girl, barely sixteen years old, to risk her life for them? "I cannot approve of this plan."

"I agree," said Wedge.

Anda nodded.

"She can do this, I'm sure of it," Na-quam vouched for her. "We hardly have a choice, I'd say. If you want an informant, that is." He paused for a moment. "I assure you that Jedi padawans are capable of much more than you would deem possible at their age. I have asked these padawans to join me here for a reason. They can help. Let them. I would not have chosen them to come along if I would not be absolutely certain of their usefulness."

Han eyed the elderly Jedi with a thoughtful stare. "Have they ever been sent out to do solo missions yet?"

"No, not yet…," sighed Na-quam. "But there's a first time for everything."

"Perhaps," Ackbar began, "We can allow her to be sent in there alone, but we would always be right outside the gate, so to speak, and we would be in contact with her throughout her mission?"

"Absolutely," Na-quam agreed as he nodded heavily. "We stay close, but the mission will take time and may take up a few days."

"Because we hardly have a choice, I will allow this to happen," Han admitted.

Anda nodded gravely and turned to Vidomina. "I admire your courage, young Jedi. I assure you that I would never have been able to do this at your age."

Vidomina responded kindly with a smile.

"It is set then. We will somehow work on a way to get Vidomina inside of the building," concluded Na-quam.

* * *

Yun let out an agitated scream. "Why doesn't Jerec trust me? The first real challenge and I can't even do it alone!"

"Shut your whiny mouth!" growled Maw. "This has nothing to do with trust, you fool! Reborn terrorists are not to be underestimated. You should be happy Jerec did not send Katarn and his apprentice over instead. Reborn is not your area, Yun. Remember that!"

"Not my area," Yun echoed with a tone of disgust. He spat on the floor. "The repression of rebellion and the command of our defensive forces is my area! The Reborn are terrorists and therefore fall under rebellion!"

"Do you wish to argue with the Emperor?" suggested Maw.

Yun calmed down instantly and sighed. "No, of course not. Jerec knows what's best."

"Exactly," grunted Maw. "So let us instead begin our search for these Reborn that are said to be hidden here on Coruscant." The Boltrunian looked at Yun to make sure he wasn't about to protest again, and then floated around for a bit. Maw liked floating. Ever since he had lost his legs to Qu Rahn's lightsabre, and had learned how to levitate with a power others referred to as Force Flight, Maw had felt much freer in his movement. To others, he was just a floating torso, but to himself, he was a 360-degree killing machine.

They were interrupted by the opening of the door to Yun's office. An officer walked in.

"Sorry to disturb you, Lord Yun," he began with a hoarse, sharp voice.

"Speak, Admiral."

"Yes, sir. My elite science team has made another major breakthrough. I would ask you to come and see our progress yourself, my Lord."

"Of course! Maw, meet Admiral Galak Fyyar, the commander of the Department of Imperial Sciences here on Coruscant."

Maw merely grunted.

"Charmed," said Fyyar with a hesitant look.

"Lead the way, Admiral."

They followed Admiral Fyyar into the horizontal elevator and travelled into the building directly east of the Governmental tower.

"These scientists have made great progress on several areas already," Yun explained to Maw. "Their most recent direct result was a new war turret I tested a few days ago on those terrorists. I already sent Jerec the schematics. I'm curious to see what they come up with this time."

Fyyar led the way down a flight of stairs, through a few corridors, and finally into a large room full of fancy equipment and scientists. He preceded them to the slightly lowered area of the lab and halted near a table.

"As you will be allowed to test in just a moment, my lord, the following experiment will be very interesting." Fyyar nodded at a fellow scientist, who pressed a button on the side of the table, which caused the table top to slide to the side. A black suit was revealed. In the middle of the chest armour, a bright green crystal was placed. "I call this the Shadow Armour."

"Is that gem what I think it is?" asked Yun with a frown.

"Quite possibly so, my lord." Fyyar took the crystal, turned it and removed it from the armour. "This is an Artusian crystal. The same material that is used to create lightsabres, isn't it?"

"It is among the possibilities," confirmed Yun. Maw eyed Fyyar with great distrust.

"The armour itself," Fyyar continued as he placed the crystal back on the suit, "is made of the finest durasteel fused with cortosis, which I'm sure you know can resist lightsabres."

Yun paused for a moment. "How far are you in developing this armour?"

"This is a prototype. Feel free to test its efficiency." He gestured towards the suit.

"And if I destroy the prototype?"

"In that case the suit would have been a failure anyway."

Yun took his sabre, activated it and tried to pierce the armour. The blade, however, did not cut through. He deactivated the sabre. "Impressive." Yun felt Maw's concern, and he shared it. "Where did you find the stuff to make this?"

"The crystals, which are of course more decorative in purpose, we found on Artus Prime, my lord. It was not on the list of prohibited star systems, so we figured it was alright. The cortosis we found by accident on a research trip to the Hoth system. It was difficult to obtain large amounts of it, but we are proud to have obtained a significant amount." The Admiral smiled contently, visibly proud of his achievement.

"I see," concluded Yun. "I'm sure that the Emperor himself would be very pleased to hear about this new discovery. I'll contact him immediately. Take the schematics and report to him on Edusa."

"Yes, my lord," Admiral Fyyar replied enthusiastically. "Shall I take the prototype with me?"

"No, Admiral. I will take this one personally," breathed Yun as he eyed the suit greedily. He grabbed the suit and felt how light it was. He would be able to move as comfortably as always, in addition to being invulnerable. Without second thought he left the lab. Maw drifted behind him.

"Yun, don't you see how dangerous this is? We will not be able to control the troopers with fear if this suit would become a huge thing!"

"I know, my flying friend." They entered the elevator back to Yun's office. "There is no way Jerec would approve of this plan. Fyyar will be killed instantly and I would be the only one to own such a suit."

"Jerec would not let you have it," Maw insisted.

"Jerec would not take it from me!" shouted Yun as he turned around aggressively. "He would not have to fear anything from me! I serve him fully. I need it more than he would. I'm out here in the field, while he is sitting on his throne on Edusa, giving orders."

"We'll see."

* * *

Jaden had safely landed the _Claw_ on the designated spot in the very crowded Katraasii spaceport. As soon as they had opened the hatch to leave the ship, two Ugnaught mechanics had taken care of possible repairs and refuel processes. Apparently, the Hutts in charge of the spaceport had learned of the arrival of official emissaries from the Emperor and decided to gain favour.

"I don't see why the Emperor doesn't just wipe out all the Hutts," Jaden murmured.

"Those who don't oppose you need not to be worried about," Kyle answered. "The Hutts have so far seemed cooperative in the Outer Rim, so Jerec keeps rewarding them with high positions in the unimportant planets." And as a matter of etiquette, the two Dark Jedi decided to pay a visit to the local Hutt in charge, which was Thigo the Hutt. Thigo was known for his fluency in many languages, which was ideal for one in his position, in charge of a spaceport where many different visitors came and went.

His palace room was very modest compared to that of Gamma. Thigo was a lot thinner and appeared less decadent on the outside. There was no band, there was no music. There was no party. Only businessmen, coordinating all the arriving and departing flights.

"Good afternoon, emissaries from Emperor Jerec!" Thigo handed the datapad he held to an employee. He slowly wormed his way towards his guests. "I had received word of your arrival. Welcome to Katraasii! What brings the Empire to the Outer Rim?"

"This doesn't look like a Hutt palace…," was the first thing Jaden could say. Kyle turned his head and looked agitated.

"Jaden, damn you!"

"Hehehe," smiled Thigo the Hutt. "It is not a problem. Here on Katraasii we always have work to do. I enjoy coordinating flights during daytime. I have time to do nothing in the evenings. You should come by in the evening if you have time! I guarantee that the parties will be unlike those you have attended. Can I offer you Jedi drinks?"

"How very kind of you, but we should be on our way."

"Always down to business, your kind. I agree. Work comes first. So, what can I help you with?"

"We have received word that Reborn terrorists might be hiding out here at the spaceport. Do you have any knowledge on their whereabouts?"

"Reborn, hm?" Thigo wormed his way to a wall. He pressed a few buttons and scanned through a text in a language Kyle couldn't decipher. Thigo coughed. "No, there seems to be no direct mention of a Reborn vessel coming into the spaceport, but they would be wise to register under a different name." He turned to Kyle again. "I believe your ship is docked in docking bay B23. Across your docking bay there is a cantina… I believe it is called the _Voyager's Thirst_ … Not that you would be able to read the entrance sign, unless you can read Huttese, hehe. Anyway, in there you will find Abron Mar. He frequents that cantina. He knows basically everything you shouldn't know around here, if you know what I mean." With a wide smile the Hutt awaited a reaction.

"Thanks, Thigo. We'll be on our way then. The Empire is grateful for your cooperation."

"As am I grateful to be of assistance." Thigo took a short bow. The Dark Jedi returned the bow. Then they left.

"Kyle," began Jaden as soon as they were out on the street again. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"You are so… friendly to these Hutts. I wonder whether you're really a Dark Jedi or not."

Kyle grabbed Jaden by the arm and made him halt. "Darkness is irrelevant, Jaden. Everyone has different ways of obtaining their goal. We are here to once and for all defeat the Reborn clan. Not to make fights with local scum. The moment you start questioning my loyalty to Jerec is the moment I will have to kill you. Is that understood?"

Jaden avoided his gaze. "No more questions, Master."

Kyle let go of his apprentice, who instantly turned away and walked again. Something felt odd about him, Kyle could not explain what. As if there were parts of his mind which he concealed for him. Kyle concluded their upcoming confrontation with the Reborn clan would straighten things out.

"You can find him in the VIP area in the back."

Kyle and Jaden gently waded through the crowded cantina, careful not to step on a spilled drink. Apparently, a band of pirates had been drinking a bit too much and were picking fights with other tables.

"There's no need to interfere," Kyle reassured Jaden. "This is not our fight." They made their way to the back and halted before the VIP entrance.

"I'm sorry, this area is VIP only," said the bouncer. The Weequay was at least two foot taller than either of the Dark Jedi and very muscular.

"How do we become VIP?" asked Katarn.

"You don't. Now get out of here!" He gave Kyle a rough push on the shoulder. Kyle was doing his best to contain his anger, Jaden could see it in his eyes. Kyle closed his eyes and counted to three.

"We are not here to make trouble. I need to speak with Abron Mar, who is inside. Could you please inform him of my presence?" Jaden eyed his Master with a curious smile as he tried his very best to come across as polite.

"I'm a bouncer, not a messaging service. Go away or I will make you."

"Name your price," Kyle spat.

The bouncer looked at him pensively. Eventually he lowered his face all the way to Kyle's level and said, "Two-thousand credits." He returned to his former pose.

"For a bloody message?!" Kyle shouted. He could no longer contain his anger.

"That's my price for leaving my post unauthorised. A whole month's salary to back up my certain loss of job. I'm not being unreasonable. You are being a nuisance. Now get out!"

Kyle was ready to go for his lightsabre, but Jaden stopped him. "Master! We don't want any trouble." He looked at his Master confidentially, even though he knew he was going to regret it later. Kyle looked back with a furious look. How dare his apprentice interrupt his actions like that. But Jaden instead turned to the bouncer, waved his hand gently, and said, "You will allow us entrance into the VIP area."

The bouncer echoed numbly, "I will allow you entrance into the VIP area." Without further protest he stepped aside and opened the door for them. Jaden gladly entered.

"Come on, Master," he said teasingly. Kyle followed him slowly. Once inside, Jaden turned around and added, "Apologies for my interference, Master, but I believe the Reborn does not know of our presence yet. Let's keep it that way." Without looking Kyle in the eye, Jaden instantly went looking for Abron Mar.

"We'll talk later, Jaden," Kyle muttered aggressively.

There were not many people in the VIP area. There was a luxuriously dressed businessman in the far corner; a small group of bounty hunters to the left; and a lone figure to the right. The cantina music was not so loud in this room, allowing the ideal situation for business talks, both legal and illegal. Jaden approached the lone figure. His greenish skin and facial tattoos indicated Mirialan origin.

"Abron Mar?" asked Jaden.

"Who's asking?"

"Two Jedi looking for information."

Kyle cleared his throat in an unnecessarily loud manner. "Two _Dark_ Jedi, Jaden."

"Yes, that," Jaden added.

The Mirialan looked up. He wore an old-fashioned pilot's helmet and some kind of tech goggles. "Sit down, gentlemen. Thigo the Hutt has informed me of your arrival." He took off his goggles and two bright eyes were revealed. "He has also told me you Jedi would not fancy a drink."

"Well, -" began Jaden.

"That's right," boomed Kyle.

"That is fortunate… for me. I wasn't too keen on sharing my delicious wine with anyone." He took a sip from his cup. "So," he said as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "How can I be of service to the Emperor?"

"Thigo said that you would know if some Reborn terrorists were present here in the spaceport," said Kyle.

"Reborn, you say?" Abron Mar drew closer and lowered his voice. "You should not mention that organisation in a public place like this. They have a great many followers in the Outer Rim."

"I thought the Emperor gave the Outer Rim systems to the Hutts to be controlled," Kyle said softly.

"Emperor Jerec has forgotten that the Hutts are no Imperial soldiers. They work for themselves and rule according to their own design."

"They report to the Emperor."

"Use your senses, Jedi. That's what your kind uses instead of common sense, right? And I don't mean to insult you," he added as Kyle was already showing signs of aggression, "but when have the planets controlled by the Hutts ever been a unity? It's anarchy. The Hutts are not governors, they are crimelords. It's the way Hutt space has always operated. When the Emperor assigned multiple more planets to the Hutts, those planets deteriorated. Katraasii is no exception."

"Do you doubt the Emperor's design?" Kyle rose from his seat.

"Master, please calm down." Jaden rose too, but only to pull Kyle down again.

"You seem a lot calmer than your friend here," Abron remarked. "I have no patience for hot-headed people."

"Forgive my Master," apologised Jaden. "It's been a long flight with little sleep."

"When we get back to Edusa, you're going to get it, Jaden," Kyle hissed.

"As I was saying," Abron Mar continued, "I have indeed spotted members of said organisation here in the spaceport. But I believe you are looking for a specific member, isn't it?"

Jaden confirmed this. "Is Desann here?"

"Yes, he is. He is the talk of the town, so to speak. I believe he wants to be found." Abron took another sip of wine.

"In that case it might be a trap," remarked Kyle, who had calmed down a bit. "We ought to be careful, Jaden."

"Agreed, Master." Jaden turned to Abron again. "So where is he?"

"He is known to frequent the _Fishin' Drink_ cantina on the other side of the spaceport. I have no knowledge about his lodgings. Chances are that he sleeps in his ship, which is docked in docking bay F24."

Jaden looked at Kyle with a sense of enthusiasm. "Shall we go for a walk then, Master?"

"I believe we shall, Jaden." Kyle got up. "Here's a reward for your services," he told Abron Mar as a sum of credits was placed on the table.

"Look at that," smiled the Mirialan bounty hunter. "Working for the Empire is a lucrative and grateful existence. If you need anything done in the future I suppose you'll know where to find me, Master Jedi." Kyle nodded and they left.

As soon as they reached the streets, Jaden hurried on and said, "Come on, Master. No time to waste." Kyle sighed and increased his pace in order to keep up. What had gotten into Jaden all of a sudden?

"I have never seen you so determined before, Jaden. Where does the enthusiasm come from?" Kyle asked with a cynical tone.

Jaden suddenly halted and turned to Kyle, his face grave and serious. "Master, I apologise for all the times I have let you and the Emperor down. I just want to prove myself this time. I want to be the one to kill Desann tonight."

Kyle looked in his face, but saw only honesty. "Very well, Jaden. You'll have your chance to prove yourself. Let's go to that cantina and cut off some limbs!"


	5. Chapter IV

"I told you directly that I only wish to be disturbed for the most important of matters!" Jerec stated.

"Yes, Master, I understand," said the hologram of Yun. "I promise you, Master, that the matter is worthy of your attention. I would have acted on your behalf, but I'm certain that this might be something you would want to hear for yourself."

"I hope you're right, Yun, for your sake." Jerec turned off the hologram and contacted his officer waiting on the com-link. "All right, lieutenant, allow him to land." He sighed as he walked around the room agitatedly. "Why are you waiting there, Boc? I know you're here."

"Yes, Master, we are still not able to contact Katarn on Katraasii."

"Communications must have been sabotaged then. Contact Thigo the Hutt and let him slip Katarn a long-distance communication device. As soon as it is delivered I will contact him myself."

"Yes, Master," said Boc with a bow. As soon as he left another figure came in. A tall officer with grey patches in his hair and a sharp face entered the room with a stern look. He knelt down as he entered the room.

"Greetings, Emperor."

"Yes, hello Admiral Fyyar. So you have a message for me that is of the highest importance?" His tone was slightly annoyed.

"I hope you will consider it so, Emperor."

"All right, let's hear it then." The Emperor sat down behind his desk.

"Yes, sir. I have developed a brand new sort of armour, which I would like to call the Shadow Armour. Unfortunately I do not have the prototype with me to show you a demonstration, because your servant Yun has claimed it as his own. We have infused significant amounts of cortosis in the durasteel suit. Cortosis is of course a rare material that can resist both lightsabres and blaster fire to a certain extent, but I'm sure that you are familiar with the material. I have brought the schematics with me. If you are interested in the concept I can recreate the suit here on Edusa for you to test, my lord." To finish his speech, Admiral Fyyar placed the schematics on Jerec's desk. He stepped back and awaited a response.

A silence went by and Jerec pretended to look at the schematics for a while. Eventually, he spoke. "Dear Admiral Fyyar, I have absolutely no use for these schematics, because I have no actual eyes to look at them." Jerec paused as he sensed the confusion within his visitor. "But fair is fair, I completely understand why Yun has sent you to report to me directly on this discovery, for it is a breakthrough… or at least, a potential breakthrough."

"Thank you, my lord."

"I wasn't finished." Galak Fyyar swallowed a lump. "I'm afraid I cannot allow your research to continue, Admiral."

"My lord?" The Admiral did not understand.

"Exactly as I say, Admiral." Jerec rose and gently walked around the chamber. "I will not allow you to create a new prototype and I will order you to destroy the schematics. Who else has access to these schematics?"

"Only I have access to the whole plan, Emperor. I will have it destroyed immediately, if your will is for it to be so." He felt slightly alarmed.

"I'm afraid that will not do, Admiral. The schematics will remain in your head. I'm afraid I will have to have you destroyed as well." Jerec activated his lightsabre and aimed at Fyyar's chest. The lightsaber was blocked right there and only damaged the Admiral's uniform. "I should have expected such trickery, but there are other ways."

"Emperor, I warn you. If you do not take the offer and fund my science project, there are others who will." The Admiral had abandoned his sense of fear and was now determined and confident.

"How dare you!" Jerec hissed slowly.

"I wanted to allow you first choice, sir, but if I do not return to my hidden laboratory, my colleagues will be signing a deal with the Reborn for galaxy-wide distribution of the suit."

"And if I let you go they won't?"

"They indeed won't, sir. In that case I will sign the deal myself!" The Admiral grabbed his pistol and fired a few blasters at the Emperor, who effortlessly blocked all shots.

"The nerve…," muttered Jerec. He extended his hand and pulled the Admiral into the air, ready to choke him to death. "Now let us discuss a new deal, Admiral. Assuming that I believe you about your deal with the Reborn, I will place a tracking device within your blood. You shall go to your secret laboratory and sign your deal with the Reborn. My troops will follow your signal and we will be ready to wipe out the Reborn as we come. Your mischief will be forgotten and forgiven. You will be praised as a hero of the Empire. If you refuse I will kill you here on the spot and you will die as a traitor. The choice is yours." Jerec released him and Fyyar fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"I… I will… I will do your… bidding, Emperor," breathed the Admiral as he felt his throat.

"So you shall," Jerec spat. He pressed a com-device on his arm and said, "Guards, come and take Admiral Fyyar to the medical centre. He will need a tracking device in his blood." Without waiting for a response, Jerec headed back to his desk and when he sat down behind it once again, the Admiral was already being taken away by two stormtroopers. He quickly established contact with Yun on Coruscant again.

"My Master," said the hologram on Jerec's desk.

"Did you know of Fyyar's plan?" demanded Jerec.

"His plan, my Master?"

"He dared to threaten me by allying with the Reborn."

"M-master, I had no idea."

"He will now lead us to their hideout. I need Maw back here immediately."

Yun bowed. "Of course, my Master. I will give him the order."

"Very well." Yun bowed again, but before he disconnected, Jerec added, "Oh and Yun, I order you to destroy the remaining prototype of the Shadow Armour. I heard it was in your possession."

"Destroy it, Master? It might prove useful. If I encounter Reborn terrorists I will be nearly invulnerable to their weapons."

"It is a threat to my reign. I want it destroyed."

"As you wish, Master. Yun out." With a bow the hologram disappeared.

* * *

Yun stood still for a moment and stared thoughtfully at the floor.

"So our collaboration was short after all," concluded Maw, who floated next to him. "I'm sure you don't regret having to send me back."

"I don't mind your company, Maw," said Yun as he strolled around the office. "What I need is a chance to prove myself once and for all."

The half-man scoffed. "You're so pathetic. Just do your job and slash some limbs and you'll be fine."

"That might be what stills your appetite, but I crave something more than that."

"I shall leave you to your imperfection then." Maw floated to the door, but turned around just before he left. "You are going to destroy that suit, aren't you?" He pointed at the wall, where the suit hang on a hook.

"Yes, of course. The Master has ordered it." Yun replied calmly.

Maw glanced at Yun for a bit more and then left.

* * *

Finally, thought Kyle as the _Fishin' Drink_ cantina came into sight. The name was even written in Basic, which must have meant that it was an intergalactic bar, unlike the previous cantina.

"Well, let's go in," suggested Jaden as he headed for the door. Kyle was about to follow, but suddenly he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around to see a bounty hunter he did not recognise.

"Take this com-device, Jedi. There's a message to you from Edusa." The bounty hunter left, but Kyle instantly activated the device. The hologram of Jerec appeared.

"Katarn, I fear your com-devices were sabotaged on both your ship and the ones you are carrying."

"I will check, my lord. Hold on." Kyle searched his pocket and found his com-device, which was indeed inactive. Somebody had tampered with it. "You are right, my Master. What does this mean?"

"I want you to kill Jaden, Katarn. Kill him instantly. Where is he?"

"He is inside the cantina where we are supposed to find Desann, my lord."

"You must be quick. Jaden is planning to join Desann. He had confided in Rosh Penin and asked him to come along." Jerec snarled. "Good thing at least one of the two has his loyalties in the right place. Finish Jaden. Report back to me when you have."

"Understood. Katarn out." Kyle remained glued to the spot for a while. Jaden had fooled him. He had betrayed his trust. Kyle felt the anger boil inside of him. Why could he not have sensed the truth? Why could he not have foreseen this scenario? Suddenly Kyle headed for the cantina door and pushed aside the guards that tried to stop him.

"There you are, Master," shouted Jaden from across the cantina. "What took you so long?" Kyle did not answer but instead walked at him determinedly. Jaden pointed to the far end of the cantina and said, "Desann!"

Kyle's stare followed Jaden's finger and he saw it was true. All the way in the back, Desann was standing fearlessly with two Reborn sidekicks beside him. The guests at the cantina could smell what was about to happen and quickly ran at the exit. Some were injured in the process.

"So we meet again," spoke Desann as the room was now deserted except for the sabre wielders.

"Come on, Master! We can take him together," Jaden smiled at his Master.

Kyle returned a look of loathing. "Traitor!" he bellowed. Kyle grabbed his lightsabre hilt and pressed the thumb switch.

"It looks like the masquerade is at an end, Jaden," concluded Desann. "Are you coming?"

"Yes!" Jaden jumped up the raised platform Desann was on, but felt himself being pulled back through the Force by his old Master.

"You're not going anywhere, deserter!" threatened Kyle as he speeded at his apprentice with raised lightsabre.

Desann quickly gestured his sidekicks to interfere. "Katarn, I regret to cross your path, but it is vital for the moment that Jaden survives. I hope you shall have fun with Tavion and Kathra." Both Reborn fighters covered Jaden's escape to Desann's side and engaged Kyle Katarn in the cantina. Desann welcomed his old friend with open arms. "It is good to see you have come to your senses, my friend. Let us leave this distorted planet."

"What about them?" Jaden asked as he gestured to the two Reborn fighters.

"They have their own way of leaving. Let's go."

"This isn't over, Jaden! I will find you and kill you! Traitor!" shouted Kyle as he tried to get away from Tavion and Kathra. Their sabres blocked the way towards the back. Kyle saw Jaden and Desann disappear through a door. He looked around. The cultists were waiting patiently for his move with their sabres ready for battle. "Another time," said Kyle. He ran towards the front door of the cantina, hoping he would catch Jaden and Desann after all. Tavion would not have it so. She used the Force to block his escape route with furniture from the cantina. Kyle stopped. He sighed. Then he furiously turned to the two Reborn fighters. "If you really want to die that desperately, then let it be so." He activated his lightsabre and jumped at the two.

* * *

They remained silent. Jaden followed Desann until they reached docking bay F24. He recognised the ship in an instant; it was _The Chief_.

"You still fly in this piece of scrap?" Jaden recognised the ship from the Academy on Yavin IV. Desann used to fly everywhere in it. He even built it himself, but it was not the best piece of technology ever built.

"Erm… yes, I'm afraid so," replied Desann. "Unfortunately the Reborn Clan is not as wealthy as the Empire…" He opened the hatch. "After you."

As soon as they settled, Desann activated the repulsor engines.

"Where are we going?" asked Jaden.

"You'll see." Desann entered coordinates into the auto-pilot and gestured Jaden to sit down in the back. He joined him soon after.

"So what will happen now?" Jaden asked. He seemed a bit nervous, yet excited at the same time.

Desann merely looked at him. "They will want to run a few tests on you, Jaden. They need to make sure you don't carry any tracker droids on you."

"You don't think I'm still loyal to the Emperor now, do you?" Jaden asked with a worrying expression.

"Jaden, I have known you for so long. You were always the master of confusion and deception. Katarn's reaction was genuine. You actually fooled one of the more powerful Dark Jedi alive today. That is something. Manolan will want to know if you'll not be doing the same to him."

"Manolan?"

"Our leader."

"I thought you were the leader."

Desann smirked. "Ha, no way. I am still relatively new to the Clan. I can't help it that I've become the face of the Clan for the outside. They are meant to think I am of importance, now that the Clan is meddling with politics."

"So the Reborn Clan has existed for some time then?"

"Yes, Jaden. The history of the Clan goes back several hundred years. Manolan is the fifteenth High Chief." Desann paused for a moment before he continued. "We are not terrorists, you know. We are mainly a spiritual group, using the Force for scientific purposes. We respect the Force and all beings connected to it."

"That doesn't sound like a dark side cult to me."

"That is precisely what I wanted to explain to you that night when they attacked the Academy." He sighed. "Unfortunately, some Jedi Master named Windu had branded the Clan's activities illegal and said we were a 'cult of evil'. The Reborn Clan has been underground ever since."

"So you're not actually light side then?"

"We do not believe in light or dark. There's just the Force. Everyone must make decisions. Those that feel the Force can choose to use it for destruction or for protection… or both."

Jaden nodded. He felt like he understood it. "That's you, right?"

"Yes. Some situations call for destruction; others for protection. The Jedi on the light side of the Force have the calmest of mind-sets and infinite patience… those are true virtues. Those on the dark side have superior knowledge on destructive Force energy. As warriors, we would be a fool to reject such knowledge just because it is deemed evil."

"I will have to admit it sounds very interesting," Jaden concluded thoughtfully. "I suppose such ideology could work in the Clan's situation…"

Desann looked up. "How do you mean?"

"Well, if you're meddling in state affairs I suppose you're more forced to take a stand on the light versus dark spectrum. Your Clan is not political, obviously, so you just exist. There's no ambition, from what it sounds like."

"I guess you're right." Desann thought about the words. "But why should there be, anyway? Look at what ambition does to the galaxy. Two empires and a never-ending civil war."

"Well, that's after a millennium of peace, mind."

"That is the past." Desann said as he got up to check the communicator. " _Chief_ to _Pale Brick_."

" _Pale Brick_ reporting in. How are you, Desann?"

"Good to hear your voice, Kathra. You two alright?"

Kathra sounded distraught. "I'm fine, but Tavion did not make it, unfortunately. That Katarn guy was pretty pissed. Once he got hold of her he made sure that there was no limb still attached. He is crazy!"

Desann was visibly shaken by the news. "What?!"

"He cut her up to pieces! Oh man I cannot get the images out of my head."

"I can imagine… I will bring the news to Manolan… and to her boyfriend."

"Yes… sorry for my strong emotion there. I'll see you back at HQ. _Pale Brick_ out."

Desann swore. "Some Master you had."

Jaden looked at the floor. Desann sensed that he was ashamed. Rightly so, he thought.


	6. Chapter V

"Concerning Vidomina's mission to Padora Hames' mansion, I bring outstanding news!" Wedge seemed excited. The others were smiling at him, waiting for him to reveal the news. "Well, okay then, I suppose I shouldn't hold you from it. Padora Hames hates droids! She will not have them around her house, save for one cleaner droid."

"And this is good news in what way?" asked Lando, who had raised an eyebrow. He looked at the others. Wedge, Na-quam, Han, Anda, Rilus and Ackbar were gathered in his temporary shelter. The place was a dump, but it had been abandoned for at least a couple of years, so it was likely safe.

"This means that she actually hires people to work in her mansion!" Wedge made a gesture suggesting that it was obvious. "Butlers, mechanics, secretaries… none of them are droids! And guess what?"

Lando lifted his shoulders. "I give up."

"There is a vacancy! Padora is looking for – don't laugh yet – a female person, preferably Human or Kel Dor, don't ask me why, aged between sixteen and twenty-five, to be her relax-buddy!"

Rilus's mouth fell open. Na-quam let out a surprised laugh. Anda raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

"Is this for real?" asked Ackbar.

"Absolutely! Tasks include the occasional random assignment; accompanying the employer on recreational travels; entertaining the employer during her daily breaks if desired by the employer; and babysitting the employer's children during daytime."

"Where did you find this?" asked Na-quam in between his smirks. "This is brilliant!"

"I saw it on several advertisement boards in lower Coruscant. Two people were talking about it as well; that's how it initially drew my attention. I tell you, if we were waiting for an opportunity, this is it!"

Anda let out a giggle. "I suppose luck is on our side for a change."

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" asked Ackbar, who hadn't felt the urge to burst into laughter. "It seems a little too much of a coincidence, if you ask me."

"Well, my friend," said Lando with a smile, "that seems unlikely. To assume there is a trap waiting inside Padora's mansion is to assume that Jerec knows we're thinking of escaping Coruscant and that we're thinking of using her freighter." He took a sip of his coffee. "Oh, and to assume that is to assume that Jerec knows we're here at all. Not impossible, just very unlikely. We're keeping low profiles; we're avoiding Imperial entanglement; we're well hidden in the more obscure parts of the city. Very unlikely."

"Unless one of us is a spy." Ackbar leaned backwards as he spoke the words. All of a sudden the smiles were wiped off their faces. They sighed.

An awkward silence followed.

"However justified such suspicions may be, they lead us down a darker train of thought." Na-quam rose. "When Han and I selected the faces for our initial mission, we selected people we knew we could trust. I don't believe any of us could sell us out to the Empire."

"Okay, we'll be able to consider this without becoming paranoid," stated Lando. "Who knows of this plan?"

"Let's see," began Rilus. "We have you, Lando, Wedge, Han, Na-quam, Anda, Ackbar, me… is that all? No, I forget about Chewbacca and Thuk."

"I mentioned it to two members of Rogue Squadron," said Wedge.

"Which members?"

"Nessal Gran and Leda Aribel. They would never betray us. I selected those two from the remainder of the squadron to confide in because I know I can trust them. They were even part of the rebellion before we overthrew Palpatine!"

"Easy, Wedge," Na-quam calmed him. "We believe you."

"Still, we shouldn't confide in others just like that," boomed Ackbar. "I am sure they are to be trusted, but the fewer know of this plan the better. Now, who else?"

They all thought for a while. Han looked around. He felt tired. There was little to do but worry about the plan. But he knew he had to stay strong. Since he initiated this movement it was his task to lead them off the planet, but he felt tired. They looked up to him, he knew it. But perhaps he wasn't the right person to lead them. He didn't like to feel responsible for all of them.

"The padawans…," gasped Anda. "The padawans know about the plan too, and we know nothing about them!"

Now it was Na-quam's turn to be defensive. "I assure you they are trustworthy! I have trained them for years." The others remained silent. "Listen, I hate to go here, but I'm getting a bit tired of all this ill trust towards the padawans. Back in the day Jedi padawans were respected and treated as full soldiers! Did you honestly think they didn't fight during the Clone Wars?! They led the war! They led the soldiers! They commanded the clone army! We will have to work together in the same fashion again!"

"At ease, Master Jedi," spoke Lando, as he made a calming gesture. "I know where you're coming from, but let's keep our heads cool." Na-quam sat down and gave Lando a nod. As soon as he was sure everyone was calm again, Lando continued. "Now, having said that, I do agree with him. Few of us can remember the Clone Wars, which means most of us are not used to the phenomenon of Jedi and the Force. Now I'm sure you all remember Luke." He paused for a moment. Han noticed him struggle at the mention of his old friend. He put a hand on Lando's shoulder. Lando swallowed a lump and continued. "Luke was a great friend and our best asset in battles. He was a Jedi! We needed him to defeat Vader and the Emperor… We cannot defeat Jerec on our own either. Only a Jedi can defeat a Jedi…"

"Well said, Lando, well said." Wedge had a grave look on his face. Han looked around. They all had. They all remembered Luke.

"Well," Han spoke for the first time this meeting, "Guess what?" He smiled vaguely. "We have several Jedi on our side this time."

"Unfortunately," said Na-quam, "None as powerful as Master Luke. I am old. I never was as strong with the Force, even in my prime. That is why we need the padawans. Only a young and strong Jedi would be able to defeat Jerec and his Dark Jedi in battle. Jedi have made a conscious decision of protecting themselves and those in their care. If you will not let them fight, they have nothing to do."

Anda sighed. "Apologies, Master Na-quam. I meant not to offend." Na-quam nodded at her. Han knew Anda never meant harm. She regularly expressed herself in a harsh way, but rarely meant it like that. She sighed before she spoke. "And I think Lando is right; I'm just not that used to the presence of Jedi and what they're capable of."

"And that is about to change," said Na-quam with a smile. "We'll have Vidomina apply for that job and pleasantly surprise you."

Slowly, but certainly they left. One by one, so they would not cause suspicion. Han and Na-quam waited until the others were gone.

"Do you have one?" asked Han.

"One what?" returned Na-quam.

"A padawan as powerful as Luke?"

Na-quam sighed and looked from Han to Lando and back. "I have a handful of very talented padawans. At least four or five of the older ones show promise… but I will be honest; if one of them is going to be the one to dethrone Jerec, I have not seen it yet."

Han looked down. Lando sighed and nodded shakily. "Alright, well, thanks for your honesty. We must keep the faith."

Na-quam shook their hands. "It is, I believe, my time to leave." He bade them farewell and put on his disguise. He felt highly uncomfortable in this shabby armour and cheap off-world helmet, but unfortunately they could not risk detection of a single member.

He stepped out of the abandoned place and saw his speeder was still where he had left it. It was a reddish airspeeder with an open cockpit, but it was cheap and not very eye-catching. Na-quam flew the speeder a few levels up to the hotel district. That was when he remembered not to fly home directly. He obligatorily flew around a few buildings, determined that he was not being followed and eventually returned to his hotel. He parked his speeder and then he sensed it.

There were unknown presences in their suite. He sensed disturbances in the Force as well. He put his hand on his lightsabre as he approached the door. He heard chatter inside.

Suddenly the door opened. He saw Vidomina.

"Master! Good to see you. Come in, we have visitors."

Na-quam let go of his sabre, but stayed alert as he walked into the room. On the sofa were two strangers dressed in dark red robes. One of them was a Human woman with red hair reaching her shoulders and a stern expression on her face. The other was a light-skinned Zabrak man with short spikes on the top of his head. Across them were Nebba, Robuk, and also Vidomina as she had presumably returned to her seat. "Who are you?" he asked rather bluntly.

"Forgive us our intrusion," said the woman as she rose and extended her hand. "My name is Chadrina; this is Nil'Ss. We are of the Reborn Clan."

Na-quam did not return the etiquette. "What are you doing here?"

"We have a common enemy," said Nil'Ss, who had risen as well to shake his hand.

No hands were shaken just yet. "How did you find us?"

It was Chadrina who spoke. "Actually we didn't. Your padawan found us."

Na-quam looked at the padawans, but he did not look happy.

"I found them, Master," said Nebba, the Twi'lek. She nervously scratched the jewellery around her lekku as Na-quam's expression did not become friendlier. She felt the need to explain. "I was just out to the market, as planned, when I heard them talking. They were trying hard to avoid Imperial contact, and when I saw their robes I knew why."

Na-quam did not understand. "Do tell."

"Do you not know of the Reborn Clan, Master?"

"It vaguely rings a bell, I suppose."

"Master, they oppose Jerec. They are like, enemy of the throne number one!"

"Forgive me, Master Jedi," said Chadrina. "Your padawans agreed to let us take cover here for the night, but if you'll have it not so, then we'll be off. We mean no trouble."

Na-quam gestured them to sit down, which they did. He closed his eyes and tried to organise his thoughts for a bit. When he opened them he spoke. "You said you were here because we have a common enemy?"

"Yes, we did," said Nil'Ss. "We may not have purposed ourselves to this place, but it is not coincidence that we bump into about the only other Jedi on the planet. The Force has led us to you."

"I'm listening," said Na-quam with a tone more friendly than before.

"Well, we came here with three to deliver a message. Our friend did not make it, unfortunately. They were expecting us apparently. Our vessel was shot down and crashed on some industry building. Inside we engaged the stormtroopers."

Chadrina took over the story. "I saw him… one of the Dark Jedi that serve Jerec… but I couldn't kill him. And now we need a way off this planet."

"That's the trick, isn't it?" said Na-quam with a smirk. "Forgive me my cautiousness with strangers, but you'll understand we cannot be too careful in our situation."

"Of course, we understand. And as a token of good will we have given these padawans our lightsabres. They put them away safely and agreed to return them to us when we leave or when trust has been formed."

Na-quam glanced sideways at Nebba and smiled. "For a minute I thought you were a bit reckless, but it seems you have made quite an impressive deal." He turned to the Reborn again. "You said you had to deliver a message. Have you delivered it?"

"Not yet, Master Jedi," said Chadrina. "We were told to deliver our message to, I quote, our allies on Coruscant, along with a clue for the Empire on where to find someone."

"To find who? Why does someone need to be found by the Empire?"

"It's not really important for this situation, b-"

"I'd like to know, just in case." Na-quam smiled vaguely.

"Oh well, someone from our Clan named Desann. As I said, not very important."

"Desann?!" Vidomina gasped. "How is he?"

"Why is he part of your Clan?" asked Nebba.

"You... know Desann?" Nil'Ss asked in a surprised tone.

"He was a fellow padawan of ours until right before Jerec became emperor," said Vidomina. "He saved us all when they attacked the Academy. I had no idea he had survived."

Chadrina and Nil'Ss looked at each other in amazement. Nil'Ss said, "Then you must be the allies he spoke of!" He took a moment to assure himself of that fact. "Desann is the one who persuaded our leader to take a stance in the galaxy. For the first time in history the Reborn Clan is actively opposing one group, and thereby supporting another."

"We always were neutral, you see," explained Chadrina. "Desann wanted us to give you coordinates for the Reborn base on Sullust."

"Hold on, for just a moment," said Na-quam. "How on earth did Desann know we were here?"

"We cannot answer that question. We don't know."

"If Desann knows, perhaps Jerec knows too…," Na-quam said pensively.

"Anyway, we will give you the coordinates to our base as soon as we are on a ship out of Coruscant. Do you have a ship we could borrow?"

"Civilians are no longer allowed to own large ships," said Vidomina. "So we're working on a way to procure one."

"Speaking of which," Na-quam interrupted his padawan, "I believe we maybe have a solution to that."

* * *

Admiral Fyyar felt the sweat drip down his armpits. The negotiations with the Emperor had not gone as planned, and now Jerec had ordered him to fly to the Reborn base with a tracker droid in his blood. Fyyar glanced sideways and saw the floating lump of muscle that was Maw, who seemed to be in his own world. Of course, the Emperor was not a fool; he wouldn't trust Fyyar to actually lead him to the secret base without some reminder to actually do so. The Admiral looked at his hands. Those were the hands that invented so many weapons for the Emperor. He realised the Shadow Armour would be a controversial product, but had considered his position powerful enough to get away with this trick.

"Are we nearly there? I'm starving!" yawned Maw. "Where was it that you said we were going?"

Galak Fyyar looked at him. "Corellia." It wasn't true though. Soon they would find out and they would kill him. It would be a terrible waste of such a genius, he reckoned, but he would not betray his friends in science waiting with the Reborn. He got up and thought, I will not give them the satisfaction. The ship's controls were near. He pressed a few buttons and activated the vessel's self-destruction sequence.

Alarms rang. " _Self-destruction sequence initiated. The ship will self-destruct in ten minutes. Abandon ship now._ " There. It was done. His career was at an end, but at least he would take one final blow at Jerec by taking out his pawn.

"What do you think you're doing?" belted Maw. "Shut it down, now!"

Galak turned around and looked Maw straight in the eye, but remained silent. It was a small ship without escape pods. There was no way out.

"I'll turn it off myself!" Maw grunted. He floated towards the control panel, but found that Fyyar had locked it with a password. "You stinking… You're gonna regret this… I have ten minutes to teach you a few new definitions of pain!" Fyyar took a blaster from the wall, but when he pointed it at Maw it was already cut in half by a lightsabre. "Not gonna happen!"

"There are no escape pods, you have nowhere to go!" Fyyar said hastily while avoiding a swing of the sabre.

"You silly man, I always have a place to go."

" _Nine minutes to self-destruction._ "

"On second thought," growled Maw. "Maybe I'll kill you instantly and try to get as far from this ship as possible." Without hesitation he perforated Fyyar's body a couple of times with his sabre.

In order to leave the ship he simply floated towards the back and opened the emergency cabinet. He took two bottles of oxygen and strapped them to his back, while connecting them to his mouth. He opened the ship's hatch and flew out.

The ship flew on for a couple of minutes and Maw remained in the middle of space to watch it explode. Now, he thought, I just have to find a ship to board. He felt regret that he had not taken more time to enjoy killing the deserted admiral.

* * *

Jerec let out a scream of rage. He threw the bowl of touch stones from his desk and shattered it against the wall. Kyle remained silent. He was locked in a bow and determined to rise only if commanded. Eventually he heard Jerec contacting someone.

"Colonel, make sure a new bowl of fresh touch stones is delivered to my office." Jerec stepped towards his servant. "Shame on you, Katarn."

"Apologies, my Master." He looked up. "If I had known only a few seconds earlier…"-

"You had two whole years!" Jerec screamed. "You had two years to train this wretch and you couldn't even tell his allegiance? You have failed me, Katarn."

Kyle looked down again. How could he excuse himself out of this? There was no excuse. How could he have known? He had never sensed anything out of the ordinary about Jaden. They had shared a lot of good times together. Was he really fooled all that time? How was that possible? Surely Jaden wasn't that strong with the Force that he could mask his true intentions to a powerful Dark Jedi such as Kyle?

"But we're not out of luck," continued Jerec. "These days it has become a fad to join the Reborn Clan. An admiral I deemed most loyal by the name of Fyyar will lead us to the Reborn base. You can restore your failure by killing Jaden, who will likely be there."

"Thank you, my master." Kyle was hesitant in his speech. He has never seen his master so angry in all the time he had served him. There has not been much reason for Jerec to complain about Kyle before either.

"Rise," commanded Jerec. "Fyyar wants us to believe the Reborn are on Corellia, but I read his mind. They are on Sullust. We should not wait too long before we send the fleet to Sullust and destroy the Reborn Clan. However, we must ascertain if the information I extracted from Fyyar was indeed the truth… I will send you to Sullust to find this base and report back to me when you do. We will destroy them there."

"Yes, my master."

"And do not fail me again, Lord Katarn!" sneered Jerec.

"I shall not disappoint you, Emperor," said Katarn humbly as he left the office. It always made Jerec feel better when called by his official title. A small remembrance to their mutual victory and the success of Jerec's masterplan.

As he made his way through the corridors of Jerec's palace, he bumped into an officer, who made a grunting noise. Kyle was about to ignore him when he heard him speak.

"Lord Katarn, good to see you!"

Kyle turned around to see who it was. He instantly recognised the face of Captain Zegemor, proud owner of the _Double Thorn_. Kyle smiled. "Good to see you, Captain. How are you?"

"Excellent, my lord, excellent. I've been promoted to Major, now."

"No more joyrides on the _Double Thorn_ then?" Kyle joked.

"With pain in my heart I had to exchange that ship for a mass-produced star destroyer, but it is in good hands with Captain Frego." He smiled, but then remembered he was in conversation with another officer and quickly introduced him to Lord Katarn. "Oh, my bad, Lord Katarn this is Colonel Jonvidis. I'm sure you two have heard of each other."

"Can't say that I have," said Kyle as he shook the Colonel's hand, "but that's probably a flaw in my memory." Colonel Jonvidis looked at him with a faint smile. He had a stern, expressionless face with grey eyes.

"Say, why don't you join us in the cantina, my lord? We'll be having a break in twenty minutes."

"Maybe next time, Major," Kyle laughed. "I have an important assignment from the Emperor I should not delay."

"Ah, that's a pity for us. Well, good luck on your assignment, my lord. We'll chat another time."

Kyle nodded at the two officers and went off to his ship. He liked talking to the officers from time to time. He was the most accessible of all the Dark Jedi, he knew that and he liked it. Jerec didn't mind as long as Katarn's loyalty was with him.


	7. Chapter VI

Desann got up and saw that Jaden was still asleep. It had been a necessary precaution. Since Jaden was not a part of the Clan yet, he had to be unconscious until their arrival. Desann looked at his friend. He had been very disappointed in him when he heard that he had fallen to the Dark Side, but part of him was very happy now that he had decided to come with him. Would Jaden want to join the Reborn Clan? Desann hoped he would.

He stepped towards his friend and slowly shook him. "Wakey wakey." He did not move. Desann searched for a bit in the back of the small ship and found a brown bag. He reached inside and pulled out a bottle of water. It was very cold. He emptied its contents on Jaden's face. It seemed to work. With a scream Jaden immediately sat up straight.

"Was that really necessary?!" he shouted as he tried to get the water out of his face.

"Well, I could've just shaken you hard, but I thought this was more fun," Desann smirked. "Come on, we've arrived at HQ."

Jaden dried off his face with his robe and laughed softly. "Just like old times, ey?"

Desann smiled. It indeed reminded him of old times when they were still apprentices to Petiimark and Luke on the Yavin IV Academy. The memory instantly reminded him of the reason the Reborn Clan had come out of hiding. "Come on, Jaden. It's time for you to meet the Clan."

He stepped out of his ship and was greeted by a one-armed Rel Mook. Desann greeted him with a brief, brotherly hug. They quickly nodded at each other and proceeded to the main cavern. Desann turned around to see where Jaden was. He looked around in amazement. Naturally he was not used to the environment and tried to find out where he was.

"So your plan has worked," Rel Mook said softly. "Let's hope he is indeed not dangerous."

"Trust me," Desann spoke. "I am as hopeful as you are." He took his Kel Dor clanmate aside for a moment. "Could you do me a favour and lead him to Manolan? Take all with you who you deem necessary."

The Kel Dor nodded. "Jaden Korr, come with me."

"I have to talk to some people before I join you again, Jaden," assured Desann.

Jaden was still admiring the great dug-out cavern and the many corridors on the sides, but he nodded, which was enough for Desann. He walked through a few corridors and ended up near the residences. What he had to do was hard, but since it was his plan that got Tavion killed, he was responsible and thus tasked with informing her family. He knocked twice on one of the many doors surrounding an cosy looking open space that was the mess hall. A few seconds later the door was opened.

"Come in, Desann, my friend!" said a voice.

Desann tried his best to smile when he saw him. Bogdon Terriam was a tall, thin man with short, dark hair and a black goatee. It had not been his choice to join the Clan, but when he fell in love with Tavion a few years ago, he had no choice but to join in order to be with her. "Hello Bogdon, I have to speak with you."

"Sure, what is it? Is Tavion back too?" His voice was very high-pitched for a man his size. He appeared unaware of what Desann would say, but when he looked at the Chistori's face he saw something was off.

"I'm afraid Tavion didn't make it back, Bogdon." Desann awaited his response. This was the worst part of these missions. It was the third member of the Clan to have perished under his watch already. Bogdon seemed shocked, but could not respond.

"I… I don't know what to say…," he said. He was visibly shaken, but the message needed time to sink in. "Did you bring back her body?"

Desann swallowed a lump. "Kathra said… there was no body to bring home. The Dark Jedi Kyle Katarn is responsible." Bogdon now began to show some tears. "I'm so sorry, Bogdon. I am responsible for these losses."

"No," he stated briskly as he sniffed. "Tavion knew what she signed up for. I suppose we should be glad to know she died for a cause she chose herself."

"I will leave you to your grief," said Desann. He couldn't stand these sort of situations. "If you ever need to talk, I'll be here." He got up and left the residence.

* * *

"This way." The Kel Dor's words sounded like a command. He regularly looked back to check whether Jaden was still following. He still wasn't sure whether this was a good idea. He remembered fighting this Dark Jedi apprentice only a few weeks ago on Nal Reklum. He wasn't that much of a fight. Rel smirked at the thought of it.

"Something funny?" asked Jaden. Rel stopped and turned around. Clearly the Dark Jedi had sensed his ill trust towards him. He looked at him for a while and scrutinised him. Without a word he recommenced his route to Manolan. "You know, you're allowed to talk to me," complained Jaden.

"You can talk to Manolan," concluded Rel. He lead the way through a couple of more corridors and finally they entered a larger cave. It was crawling with people in here. All were wearing clan robes. The Kel Dor walked straight to the other side. He glanced sideways and saw from the corner of his eye that Jaden was still following him.

"Great Manolan, I bring you the Dark Jedi," Rel said with a nod. He gestured towards Jaden, who stepped forward and took a bow.

A short Sullustan man replied. "Thank you, Rel." He approached Jaden and looked at him with curiosity. "You are a friend of Desann, then?" He spoke Basic fluently, but he had a strong Sullustan accent.

"Yes, my lord," replied Jaden.

Manolan smirked. "We do not call each other lord here. I am Manolan Tab'Skiy, High Chief of the Reborn clan."

"Jaden Korr."

"We know that." Manolan smiled and eyed Jaden with a curious look. "What we do not know is why a Dark Jedi, a servant of Jerec, is in our midst. Please enlighten us."

"I…" He was visibly thinking about what to say. "I do not serve Jerec." He appeared uneasy.

"I beg to differ. Were you not apprentice to Kyle Katarn a few hours before you arrived here?"

"Yes, but…"

"And Kyle Katarn serves Jerec, so you must have done so too, right?"

Jaden sighed. "Well, yes. But I'm not anymore."

Manolan did not reply immediately. There was something calming about the way he spoke. Something in his voice somehow made people listen. He sensed the confusion within Jaden. He sensed the fear and anger in his clan mates.

"You don't just quit on Jerec!" shouted a woman on Manolan's right side. "Are you here to try to wipe us out?"

Jaden was now alarmed. "What?! No!"

"Melina speaks true, dear Jaden," recommenced Manolan. "Jerec is not known for his forgiving nature. Fear keeps the Imperial troops loyal to him. You must give us a reason to trust you, before we can."

Jaden thought for a moment. Suddenly he grabbed his sabre. A lot of clan members went for theirs. But Jaden did not activate it. He put it in the palms of his hands and offered it to Manolan. "My old Master always told me, your lightsabre is your life. I put my life in your hands."

Manolan smiled and gestured his clan mates to stand down. "That sounds like a wise Master. Pray tell me, what was his or her name?"

"Master Na-quam, sir."

"Is he still alive?"

"I… I don't know… I haven't seen or heard from him since the attack on the Academy…"

"He is still alive, Jaden!" Desann had joined the scene. "And so are most of the others. Sorry I am late, great Manolan. I had unfortunate matters to attend to."

"It is of no worry, good Desann." Manolan smiled at him. He took Jaden's sabre from a distance, activated it, and observed the blue blade. "What caused the delay, my friend?"

Desann looked down in shame. "We lost Tavion today. Katarn had no mercy, sir."

The High Chief turned to Desann with a grave look, deactivating the weapon in his hand. "That's another loss under your command, Desann."

"I take full responsibility." Desann did not look at his face.

Manolan sighed. "Oh well… I guess this is the price we pay for exposing ourselves. I will prepare a memorial. Why don't you take Jaden and show him around?" He turned to Jaden. "We will speak later, Jaden. For now, you will be our guest, but we cannot permit you to leave. Desann will take you to a guest room."

"Thank you, High Chief."

* * *

She felt his worries, but he knew it was the only way. She looked at her Master just as she was about to leave the speeder.

"Remember, patience is the key. Be mindful of your thoughts and actions when inside." He paused. "May the Force be with you, Vidomina."

She smiled. "And with you, Master." She hopped out of the speeder onto the landing platform next to the mansion.

"One more thing, Vidomina. Please give me your lightsabre. It is too risky to bring it along." She gave him her lightsabre and watched him take off.

The mansion was straight ahead. The door was shut. Vidomina knocked. A camera appeared from the door. It was accompanied with a robotic voice. "To who do we owe the pleasure?"

"My name is Pereilia Nebula and I came to apply for the job of… of relax-buddy." She quickly coughed in case that was not the correct term, but she knew it was literally on the advertisement boards.

"Ah, yes, you are right on time!" The camera disappeared again to Vidomina's relief and the door opened.

She entered a huge entrance hall which clearly belonged to a rich person. The walls were decorated with colourful drapes; the floor was covered with a dark red carpet; and four white pillars held the ceiling, which was pyramid-shaped and transparent, at a distance. A protocol droid gestured her to follow her. It led her through a long corridor, decorated in the same fashion, and into a lift. The lift held the same carpet, but its walls and cabin were pure gold, decorated with gems. Who was this Padora Hames and how was she so rich? The lift stopped after a short while. They got out and found themselves on the upper level. Vidomina could see the ceiling of the entrance hall as she looked to the other side of the mansion. The droid led her into a chamber where a young woman sat behind a scarlet, wooden desk. She was busy writing something on her datapad when they walked in. She looked up. She was very young. Vidomina would estimate her to be in her early twenties. Blond hair, tied back in a ponytail, fell back behind her face, which sported a warm smile, two bluish eyes, and a small, round nose.

"Miss Hames, I present you Pereilia Nebula – applicant for your vacancy." The droid strode away.

Miss Hames got up and shook Vidomina's hand. "Welcome, Pereilia." Her voice relatively low and hearse. "I am Padora Hames."

"Nice to meet you," Vidomina said enthusiastically. She had rehearsed her application a couple of times with Anda. She had to get this job. Everything depended on it.

"I do apologise for that lousy welcome. Ugh… I really have to hire a decent butler next. This wired piece of junk is only… temporary. I hope it wasn't too much of a turn-off." She gestured her to take a seat.

"Oh not at all," Vidomina replied as she sat down in a very comfortable chair. Padora followed her example.

"Yes, my father always taught me the importance of keeping yourself surrounded by actual beings, you know? Little did he know that I would make it big time doing business. Now I actually have the money to afford living beings in this house."

"So before you had a droid as your relax-buddy?" Vidomina asked with half a smile.

Padora let out a giggle. "Not in a million rotations!" They laughed about it. "Care for a drink?"

"Sure."

She walked to a little cabinet in the corner and browsed through its contents. "I have… ale… another ale… some more ale… and… ale. What'll it be?" She looked at Vidomina to see her response.

"Ale, I guess?" Vidomina smirked. It was a very relaxed atmosphere – not at all how Anda had played her in their practice sessions.

"That was a trick question, wasn't it?" She took out a bottle of ale, along with two glasses and poured the drink. She gave one glass to Vidomina. "Well, I suppose you're dying to answer some of the most cruel of questions I can come up with." She took a sip from her ale and lifted an eyebrow while looking at her applicant.

Vidomina took a sip as well, thought about it, and replied. "Can't wait."

"I figured as much." She appeared disappointed for a while. "You're the fourth applicant this week. Did you know that?" Vidomina didn't. "You are by far the youngest, though. How old are you, Pereilia?"

"I'm sixteen."

"Hmm, I wonder…" She took another sip and narrowed her eyes.

Vidomina looked at her with curiosity. How did she want her to respond?

Padora had emptied her glass and put it down on the table rather harshly. "Refill?"

Vidomina nodded after she quickly drank the rest of the ale, trying to keep up.

"At least you can drink!" smirked Padora. "A very important quality for a relax-buddy. Even though you are only sixteen… ever had strong liquor before?"

"I haven't."

"Would you like to try some?"

"I suppose we have time."

Padora laughed. "Yes! In for experimentation, very good!" She went back to the cabinet, took out a black bottle with a light blue label on it. "My father used to brew this in his basement. I have inherited the recipe. I cannot guarantee it'll be of similar quality, but it'll make you at least tipsy, which is when I can judge you best." She filled the glasses with the liquor. It was a nearly transparent liquid. "On three. One. Two. Three." Both of them drank the glass instantly. It vaguely tasted like Jogan fruit, but also strongly like alcohol. It left a burning sensation in Vidomina's throat. She blinked a few times, coughed once, and looked at Padora again, who appeared eager to see what the drink did to her applicant. She sported a broad grin. "Strong stuff, right?"

"You can say that." Vidomina giggled. She didn't know why she giggled. She felt a little tipsy, just like Padora predicted.

"And now we can start having fun!" Padora said enthusiastically. She walked to a device in the corner, put on some funky music, and returned to her desk. "Tell me, what is it you do for fun?"

They spent the next few hours exchanging stories about themselves, joking, laughing, and even smoking a cigar on the roof of the mansion. Padora told wild stories that had allegedly taken place in her youth. She had once travelled all the way to Tatooine with a friend, caught a Bantha, and released it on the market in Coruscant. She gave Vidomina advice on men and promised to help her find a good man. She was very surprised that Vidomina had never been with a man in her entire life and hadn't even thought of that. "When I was sixteen, I surely was a lot more experienced in life than you, but that's okay. To each her own." She generally liked to boast of her adventures, but never judged her applicant on her history and eagerly listened to the practiced stories that Vidomina told her. They were mostly innocent stories, paling in excitement compared to Padora's, but they were believable, and Vidomina felt comfortable in pretending to be that character.

She liked Padora. Against all expectations, Padora was actually a very nice, down-to-earth type of person. She had a great sense of humour, a very intense smile, and eyes that made it hard to look away from her. Vidomina had to force herself to look elsewhere many times, to avoid an awkward blush. She was sure Padora had noticed it anyway, but she was happy no comment had followed.

* * *

The sun was setting on Coruscant. Padora put out the cigar.

"Time to go down below! I'm sure Cosmo will be back soon!"

"Cosmo?" Vidomina asked.

"I haven't told you, how is that possible! Cosmo is my two year old son!"

"Ah, you have a son? That's really cool."

"He is adorable. I always have to give him over to the day care service, but he will be your job during the days, too. I can take care of him when I'm not working, but I have to work during the days."

"Who is the father?"

Padora looked at her with a grin and smirked. "Remember what I told you about the time I dated that Imperial officer? Palo Jonvidis?"

Vidomina gasped. "He left you when you were with child?!"

"Bah, I didn't tell him," she said as she waved away her comments. "He wasn't the type I wanted to keep around the house anyway. He was mad; he was bad; he was dangerous… but he was kind of old and stuff, you know?"

Vidomina nodded understandingly. "He'd probably try to get rid of it if he knew."

"I guess…"

They heard a child downstairs.

"Let's go. I want you to meet him now!"

They left the roof and took the lift to the lower floor. A Kel Dor man in a light blue jacket held a young toddler.

"Cosmo!" shouted Padora as she ran towards her son and embraced him. She kissed him on the forehead. "There's someone I want you to meet!" She thanked the day care employee and took the child from him. "Say hello to Pereilia. She's going to be your new babysitter for the coming weeks. Go on, say hello."

"Hi," said the boy with a soft, high-pitched voice.

Padora giggled. "He's always so shy. It took him a few weeks before he stopped freaking out seeing that Kel Dor. He is still scared of other species."

"He'll get used to the other species when he's older, I'm sure." Vidomina came closer to Cosmo. "Hi there, little guy." She smiled instinctively.

"Yeah, well, I'm going to keep him away from them for as long as I can. Most of them are criminals and are not to be trusted at all!" She looked expectantly at Vidomina.

Vidomina looked at Padora. She wasn't sure how to respond. She had to get this job. It had been really easy and natural to have fun with Padora, but this crossed a boundary for her and the liquor made her step out of character. "That is a load of rubbish. I'm good friends with many different species."

"What?!" Padora looked at her very seriously. She crossed her arms and allowed for a few seconds of silence. She then burst into laughter and embraced Vidomina. "Great! Splendid! That was another test!" She looked into her face. "I do not need a friend who just agrees with me on every field! You are not afraid to be honest." She smiled happily as she picked up her son and headed for the lift again. "Come with me, Pereilia, we'll discuss the final details in my office."

Vidomina was so relieved she sighed happily and followed Padora. Cosmo was a pretty child. He stared at Vidomina with a curious look. Padora led her into the office, put Cosmo on the floor where he walked into the corner to fetch a toy, and sat down again. Vidomina sat down too.

"I had a great day, Pereilia! I hope you had too."

Vidomina nodded heavily. Padora had not been what she had expected beforehand. She was kind, attentive, enthusiastic, and very beautiful. Vidomina liked how she flickered with her blue eyes everytime she had a new crazy idea.

"Great! Can you start tomorrow? I usually start my work at 0800 hours, so you'll be required around that time until about 1700 hours. No need to bring food, I have it here. Your task during weekdays will be taking care of Cosmo. I'll come visit you in most of my breaks. You will meet the other staff too. If you have questions you can ask them to Yshua, the caretaker. He knows everything. I'd appreciate it if you'd not disturb me when I'm working. Every weekend I have two days off, one of which you'll spend with me. The other is your day off as well. Ooh I haven't told you about my current boyfriend yet! You will meet him coming weekend in two days. Exciting times!" She giggled again. "Oh, and feel free to stay a little longer during the weekdays if you want to join us for dinner; most of the staff do."

"Thank you! I'm really glad I got the job." They shook hands.

"Tomorrow I'll have your contract ready and you will know your pay. Don't forget to bring your ID tomorrow so I can enter you into the file."

"Will do. Thanks again." She did not bring an ID for her character. She had told Padora she had forgotten it in order to cover up. Luckily she didn't mind for the day.

"Great, see you tomorrow then! Can you let yourself out?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow!"

Vidomina left the office, entered the lift, exited on the lower level, and had the droid open up the door again for her. It was nearly dark outside. As if perfectly timed, she saw Na-quam's speeder park on the Hames landing platform. They did not speak while they took off and left for the hotel.


	8. Chapter VII

Desann gestured Jaden to sit down. He sat down himself too. He had shown Jaden around the base, attended the memorial for Tavion, and wondered what his friend was thinking. Jaden had been awfully quiet since the memorial and Desann always had trouble trying to sense his mood. It seemed as if he shielded everything from everyone. Then again, it had been a long, exciting day with a lot of new impressions and Jaden probably tried to figure out what to do with his life. Desann hoped he would at least consider joining the Reborn Clan.

Rel Mook approached the two and joined them. Desann had considered private dinner, but convinced Jaden to join the rest of the Clan in the mess hall, where he could get even more impressions of life within the Clan.

"How is he?" asked Rel.

"We've seen everything now," replied Desann. "I figure you're a bit tired, Jaden?"

Jaden smirked nervously. "It's been a long day."

"Just so you know," said the Kel Dor, "we appreciated your presence at the memorial for Tavion." He waited for a response, but when it didn't come he continued. "Manolan wants the two of you to come to his meditation chamber after dinner."

Jaden nodded. "I've got nothing better to do at the moment, so why not." He forced a smirk.

They leaned backwards as dinner was served.

"Eat it, Jaden, you'll feel better." Desann noticed that Jaden looked at the food rather hesitantly. "It's a local dish. Very basic, but it contains all the necessary daily vitamins and proteins. Especially that white lump of vegetables over there are very good for your energy levels."

Jaden chuckled. "You're a nutritionist now?"

"I like to know what I'm eating."

Jaden eyed his Chistori friend for a moment, smirked once more, and then turned to his food.

* * *

"Congratulations, Vidomina, that was a class act!" smiled Na-quam.

"Thank you, master."

"We've developed your cover even more. It was Han's idea to have you moved to a different hotel. We wouldn't want them to follow you home and discover us over here. It'll also sever your ties to any suspicious activity." He quickly accepted the box from Lando. "Ah, yes, your fake ID, as you requested. This will be all you require in order to confirm your identity. There's also a credit chip, some food, and a datapad with some novels. You should go to that place as soon as you're ready… make yourself at home over there. You can take my speeder and keep it, I will not be needing it that often anymore."

Vidomina looked at her master. He was taking care of everything, arranging restlessly. She knew he wanted her mission to be a success, but she also suspected that he wanted to prove a point to the others. He probably wanted her to succeed so he could convince them of their usefulness. She couldn't blame him. She had felt their doubts about the mission, and Anda always looked at her with such pity in her eyes. She didn't need it and surely didn't want it. She thought about her sister and the other padawans left to hide on Essien. They were probably waiting for their return. Na-quam had left Ivorin and Borbor in charge to make sure the others remained hidden and safe; those two fellow padawans were wise and smart enough to take care of the others. Vidomina had to trust them. Essien had officially been part of the New Republic, but the Empire had hardly ever bothered to set foot there. It was one of the Outer Rim territories nobody cared about, which is exactly why Na-quam had chosen that planet.

"What are you thinking about, Vidomina?" asked Nebba. Na-quam was discussing some things with Lando and Wedge now. Robuk was talking with the Reborn Clanmates, while Nebba and Vidomina were left remotely on their own.

Vidomina looked at her. "I hope the others are okay," she spoke softly.

Nebba tried to look comforting, but she too had been thinking about them. "Soon we will join them again."

"I know." She regained herself. She knew what had to be done. She said goodbye to her master and to the others, and headed for her new hotel.

* * *

Kyle sighed. Below him was the planet of Sullust. It was a huge planet. Jerec wanted him to find the Reborn Clan's hideout, but it could be anywhere. He sensed Jaden's presence on the surface, even if only for a moment. He knew Jerec was right. How he got his information was a mystery, but it was reliable at least. Kyle steered the Raven's Claw into the atmosphere and began his search for the hideout.

* * *

They had finished their meal. It seemed to have reinvigorated Jaden, even if only for a while. Desann found him less depressing to be around as they made their way to Manolan's meditation chamber. Manolan greeted the two as they entered. The chamber was wide, high, and empty. Smoke covered most of the walls and the ceiling. The floor was invested with golden tiles depicting a peculiar winged creature with a gem for an eye.

"Welcome back, let us continue our conversation," smiled Manolan as he gestured them to sit down. "How do you find our facilities?"

"It seems peaceful," replied Jaden. "I never knew how much of a city this cave was. I've seen families, industries…"

Manolan nodded intensely. "Yes, yes, good. The Empire is depicting us as terrorists, but like all antagonists, there's always a story behind them." He hesitated for a moment. "We are not all warriors. Quite a lot of our active members don't even own a lightsabre."

"Do you have enough to overthrow Jerec?"

Manolan sighed. "We never intended to reveal ourselves the way we did. When Desann joined… it was his idea to take an active stance against this Empire. He has the plan."

"Well, Jaden," spoke Desann. "This Clan alone does not have the power to overthrow Jerec. We need some things."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Jaden.

"Yes," said Manolan. "We need all the information you can give us about Jerec. Where is he hiding?"

"Where are his minions?" said Desann.

"What does he know about us?"

Jaden gestured them to stop and coughed. "All right, I will tell you everything, but will that help you destroy Jerec?"

Desann hesitated to speak. "There is one other channel I've been trying to open, but it's been some time and I'm not sure if they came through… I'm talking about master Na-quam and the other survivors of the Academy sweep."

"Where are they?" asked Jaden with a tone of immediacy.

"I have good reason to believe that Na-quam at least is on Coruscant. If he is, it will be hard to get to him. I've sent three of our Clan to find them, but they have not reported back just yet."

"Jerec found them!" exclaimed Jaden with a sense of shock. "Just before we left for Katraasii to find you, Jerec mentioned this to Kyle, but he had Yun and Maw on the job. Apparently one of them was killed…"

Manolan caught his head in his hand. Desann closed his eyes.

"Jaden," said Desann decisively. "Tell me everything you know."

* * *

Colonel Jonvidis looked around. The cantina was filled with fellow officers. Some of them friends of his. Who could he trust? He knew that Admiral Perlon would certainly understand, but then again, would he be prepared to perform the necessary steps? To his right he saw Captain Frego, who had just returned the _Double Thorn_ from a patrol through the Outer Rim. He owed everything to the Emperor. His loyalty was without question. A few tables in front of him, he saw Major Zegemor. He was a good friend. Unfortunately, he, too, was very fond of Emperor Jerec and was particularly close to Kyle Katarn. There was no way he could be involved.

"Rough day, Colonel?"

He looked to the man who was occupying the seat to his left. He recognised the pale looking officer as Corporal Thoronis. "Just a little tired of being stationed down on the planet for this long. Nothing ever happens here on Edusa."

"I know what you mean," confirmed the man with a grimace. "I suppose a lot of the men would die to be in your position, though. There's no risk of dying, because nobody knows what's here."

"Let's just say I'm not the kind of person who likes to play it safe." He took a sip from his beverage. He eyed the Corporal carefully. Thoronis had served under him briefly a few years back, before he was promoted to Corporal and transferred to a different battle cruiser. Jonvidis himself was nowadays assigned to the Emperor's personal squadron of bodyguards.

"Have you heard what happened to Admiral Fyyar?" asked the Corporal.

Jonvidis felt alarmed. His heart started beating faster. "What about it?"

"He invented something for the Emperor and got killed for it!"

"You don't say."

"I always wonder why we keep fighting with these Force wielding villains… Don't get me wrong, though. I enjoy serving under them, but I do try to avoid their gaze." He took a bite from his sandwich. He looked at Jonvidis with an alarmed look. "Y-you're not gonna tell that to one of them, will you, Palo?"

The Colonel smiled. "No, Noakin, I will not." This was it. He knew it. More and more men started feeling this way. The death of Fyyar had unlocked an emotion in all of them, he knew it. He just had to find a way to unify them. "Tell me, Corporal Thoronis, what are you willing to do about it?"

Thoronis almost choked on his sandwich. With big eyes he looked at his superior. "Sir?"

"Gather all you can find. Swear secrecy."

The Corporal thought for a moment and he looked even paler than usual. He feared the Emperor's wrath at even thinking of this, but he knew it had to be done. He nodded.

* * *

Kyle coughed. The volcanic nature of Sullust had an impact on his lungs. Hopefully it was only temporary. He had landed his ship near the SoroSuub facility. It was all he knew about Sullust and it could be a good place to start his search. The company had a reputation for being loyal to the Empire, which also helped the decision. A short Sullustan woman walked to him and spoke to him in her native language.

"I don't speak Sullustan. Try Basic," spat Kyle, slightly annoyed.

Clearly offended, the woman tried her hand at Basic. She had a strong accent. "Welcome to SoroSuub. How can I be of service?"

"My name is Kyle Katarn, I'm an official emissary from Emperor Jerec. I demand to speak to your leaders."

The woman instantly changed her attitude. "Follow me." Kyle smelled the fear within her. He triumphed on it. He made sure his lightsabre hung clearly from his belt for all to see. Fear was all around him as more and more people saw his weapon.

The corporation was built underground and the corridors were nothing more than decorated tunnels, barely high enough for his tall figure to fit in them. He walked through them slightly bent. The woman led him to a lift, which travelled deeper into the ground. Eventually it stopped and they got out one or two floors lower, Kyle did not pay attention, and they went through another tunnel. All the natural light was gone now and only lamps lit the corridor. The woman knocked on a door, awaited a reply in Sullustan, and gestured Kyle to enter.

"Emissary from Emperor Jerec, speaks only Basic," said the woman. She left immediately.

"Well, I can understand Wookiee and speak a little bit of Huttese and a bit of Gran." Kyle smirked.

The Sullustans nervously sniggered. There were five of them dressed in formal attire. Apparently, they were on their lunch break. They all looked alike to Kyle; there was only difference in height for him. Ugly creatures, he thought.

"What can we do for you, Master Jedi?" asked one of them.

"We have reason to believe this planet is home to a bunch of terrorists." The statement made the others gasp and look distressed and alarmed.

"We have no idea, Master Jedi!" replied the same one.

"Relax, I'm not here to punish you. The SoroSuub corporation has a reputation of loyalty. I need your help to find them. That's all."

They were all noticeably more at ease. "How can we help?"

* * *

Desann knew something was off. He was expecting Jaden to continue his story, but he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. He had covered his eyes.

"What's wrong, Jaden?" asked Desann. "You just told us that Rosh is apprentice to Boc. What's wrong?"

Jaden looked at him. Drops of sweat had formed on his forehead. "I sense a presence… Kyle Katarn is on this planet. They know we're here!" He sounded panicky.

"Don't worry, Jaden, they don't." Manolan sounded very sure of himself. "If they knew, there'd be an army with him and we'd be under attack. He must be a scout." He paced around for a bit; lost in thoughts. "We have some friends in some of the cities… We must get to him before he can get to us. I'm off to contact them." He walked out the room.

* * *

Kyle felt his lightsabre. It gave him power. Just the sight of it. He gently stroked the curved hilt. The lift doors opened and he found himself near the surface again. He hated subterranean buildings, even though he knew very well why the Sullustans had no other choice. The climate and weather on the surface was very unstable and unfriendly. Kyle had noticed the planet was incredibly close to Sulon. In fact, Sulon was a moon of Sullust. He had always seen the planet when he grew up, but this was the first time he actually visited it. It reminded him of his father. He forced the image out of his head instantly. There was no time for pathetic memories.

The SoroSuub board of directors had pointed out possible places the terrorists could be. He did not have to search for himself. Members of the Sullustan Home Guard would do the search for him. He headed back to his ship and decided to have a beverage. The temperature was considerably higher than on Edusa.

It took a mere thirty minutes for them to contact him. Apparently he was to enter the city adjoining the SoroSuub HQ, which the Sullustan referred to as "Central". Kyle sighed. He got up and followed their directions.

It took him twenty minutes to get there. The Home Guard had placed him in one of their speeders, which was there shortly afterwards.

"Master Jedi, we got a tip that a particular area in the city might be under Reborn control. It is no official statement, but it is best if we check it out with you."

Kyle swore. "I thought you had something… Oh well, I'm here now anyway. Let's check it out." He followed their directions and preceded them into an area that seemed like any other area of the city. Kyle wondered what was so special about it, but he did sense something different about the place. He divided the Home Guard into different directions and took one himself where he would be alone.

He passed a few buildings, peered around corners, and headed towards an old fancy building. He didn't know why he felt drawn to that particular building, but he thought he should let the Force guide him. The building was shaped like a pyramid, but with a round base. As he closed in on the door he noticed the same image he saw on Nal Reklum; a shiny lightsabre crystal, surrounded by plants and the letters 'R' and 'B'. Kyle wondered why they had a logo this deep into the Capitol. The Home Guard would easily discover it and unmask them. He entered the building.

The inside was huge. A huge circular room welcomed him into the dimly lit place. There were balconies higher up the pyramid, but they were not lit. Kyle sensed presences. He was not alone. Slowly, he walked further into the room. When he reached the middle he halted. He was being watched. He stroked his lightsabre hilt. It felt tempting to grab it. "Show yourself!" he shouted. He heard the sound of feet shuffling over a solid surface.

Suddenly two people jumped behind him. It had to be a trap! He turned around and activated his sabre, but so had they. Two more people jumped on his other side.

"Surrender, Dark Jedi," spoke one of them.

"Never!" Kyle spat. He assembled Force energy and tried to push two of them away, but the four of them were faster and it backfired. Kyle flew backwards through the chamber. Just when he was back on his feet he felt he was being hit. A sniper with a disruptor rifle had shot his right shoulder. Kyle had dropped his sabre as he fell backwards again. Four sabres pointed at his head and he felt the sniper aiming the rifle at him again. "All right… I surrender."

* * *

Colonel Jonvidis watched as the troops started doing the exercises he had ordered them to do. What a beautiful sight it was. Such order. The whole grassland was crawling with soldiers training furiously. The sun shone brightly on their armour. How he loved it.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" said a familiar voice.

Jonvidis looked to his right and saw Admiral Perlon approaching from a distance, along with his convoy of three troops. He instantly saluted him.

"At ease, Colonel," said the Admiral after saluting him too. "The Emperor is very pleased with your revised training programme. So am I."

"Thank you, Admiral." He wondered if Corporal Thoronis had ratted him out.

"You will leave the supervision of the programme to Colonel Brolly."

"Sir?" Jonvidis was surprised. This wasn't fair. He designed the programme and he deserved to supervise it fully.

"You're being reassigned, Colonel. Don't worry, you'll get to see some action." He smiled.

Jonvidis immediately relaxed. "Erm… of course, sir. Forgive me."

"No need, no need." He scratched his clean-shaven chin. "The Emperor wants you to report to Admiral Mobbis, where you'll help him track down those scientist officers who've gone rogue. You know, Fyyar's lot."

Jonvidis got excited, but tried to hide it. "Yes, sir, I will report to Admiral Mobbis for duty." He saluted again and got moving. He smiled to himself. Not only did he get to see some action, he was given a platform… by the Emperor himself.


	9. Chapter VIII

"Where is she now?" Ackbar inquired.

"She is staying in a different hotel," explained Lando. "An idea of Han, actually. So she can't lead them here, should they become suspicious."

"That's irresponsible!" gasped Anda. "What if there's danger?"

"She does have a com-device with her, you know?" said Wedge.

"All right, what is the plan?" Ackbar walked around impatiently. "What will be her next move?"

"She has only just acquired the job," interfered Na-quam. "She'll need to do her job and at the same time scout the perimeter. She doesn't only need to find the freighter, but all kinds of details… how to smuggle us in, how to get us all out… Preferably undetected. It could take a few weeks. I have agreed with Vidomina that she'll report in every day after work."

Anda sat down and stared at her hands. Han eyed all of them gently from the corner of the room. Lando returned to his seat as well. So did the others.

"So all we do is wait?" asked Thuk Keen with his booming voice. He had folded his arms and assumed a sceptical attitude. "Is there nothing we can do?"

"All we can do is trust in Vidomina and let the Force guide her path," Na-quam said as he vacantly stared out the window.

* * *

Her first day working in the Hames mansion was actually quite fun. The atmosphere was very relaxed; the rest of the staff were sympathetic and helpful; and Cosmo was not at all a trouble maker at heart. Yshua, the caretaker, had shown her around the house, given basic instructions on the child, and provided her with a key card. He was a short, balding man of considerable age. Apparently, he was the only staff member to have actually served Padora's father. He had said that she could basically go anywhere she needed to be with the key card, but that it was programmed to her working hours. Taking care of Cosmo had not proven to be a hard task. He was very shy and preferred to play by himself in a corner. A tip from Yshua had made her aware that it was her task to try and make him more sociable, which in the end was more fun for her too.

Padora herself had briefly greeted her in the morning when she signed the contract, but she had not left her office during her first two breaks. Vidomina had heard her shouting against someone at more than one occasion as she passed down the corridor. Apparently, the pressure was on and she was buried in work. Vidomina did understand. She would not have been able to afford living in a luxurious mansion without working for it.

"Most of your working days won't be this light-hearted, I promise you," joked the caretaker as he caught her almost dozing off while keeping an eye on the toddler. "Cosmo is exceptionally quiet today. Usually he wants to play hide and seek… he'll make you look all over the place for him. He's quite good at it for a toddler. Do try not to lose sight of him, though. He is only a toddler, after all."

"It seems he prefers to be left alone most of the time," remarked Vidomina, whilst looking at Cosmo as he played with some colourful cubes. He seemed to be murmuring to himself in funny voices.

"Every child is different," said Yshua, who also looked at Cosmo. "We shouldn't force anything on him he doesn't like. He probably still needs to get used to the idea of you." He sniggered. "I'll go activate the cleaner droid." He walked away.

Not long after, the butler droid approached her and told her to meet Padora on the roof. Glad to finally engage in something more active, she instantly got up and headed towards the roof.

"Ha! There's the newbie!" Padora instantly hugged her with a big smile. "How's your first day, sweetie?"

Vidomina laughed. "Very good! How is yours? Been busy I understand?"

Padora sat herself down and lit a cigar as she handed Vidomina a sandwich. "Busy as hell. They all gave in at the end, though."

"What is that you do exactly, if I may ask?"

Miss Hames waved her question away. "Oh well, I buy and sell stuff… negotiating all day." She threw some water in her face and exhaled loudly.

"What kind of stuff?"

Padora giggled. "You really want to talk about these boring things?"

Vidomina shook her head with a friendly smile. She was really curious, but there was no need to find out. Her mission was something else.

"So, how are you and Cosmo getting along?" She took a bite from her sandwich, but quickly decided it wasn't what she wanted to eat and put the remainder down.

"Still trying to get to know him, mostly. Yshua gave me some tips, and I'll keep trying different ways to approach him." She wasn't sure whether she should be honest, since her job depended on it.

Padora waved her words away again. She leaned back on the slope and stretched out for a bit. "Cosmo is shy. Looks like he got it from his father. At least you're trying different things… the day care people always force the one way they know on all the children under their care. He just responds very differently to people he doesn't know. Try playing hide and seek, though. He loves that!"

Even though Vidomina had heard that tip before, she decided not to let it show. "Thanks for the tip; might try that."

They didn't chat that much for the remainder of the break as Padora was visibly tired, but they joked around for a bit until it was time to get back to work. As soon as Vidomina returned to Cosmo, the butler droid left again, as if relieved from duty. Cosmo was done playing around and now sat still on the floor, eyeing Vidomina curiously. She smiled at him and approached him.

"Hey, little guy, do you want to play a game?"

Before she even made a suggestion, the toddler jumped up and shouted, "Hidaseek!" He was all full of energy all of a sudden and clumsily ran towards a door to which he pointed. "Here!"

Vidomina approached the door, but didn't know what was behind it. She opened it with her key card. Cosmo instantly entered it and disappeared behind a concrete box. "Cosmo! Come back! Not yet!" She was determined not to lose him in this area. She looked around, while the child came back obediently. Her voice echoed through the enormous place that felt like a docking bay of some sort. There were concrete boxes scattered all around the place. She could only wonder what was inside. When she looked up she noticed that the freighter she was looking for was right above her. It covered the whole room. This was an ideal place to play hide and seek, she figured. "All right, Cosmo. Don't go too far, now. Are you ready? Go!" The toddler instantly sprinted away. Vidomina waited ten seconds before she went on to seek the boy. She knew exactly where he was headed, for she had not closed her eyes, but she took the opportunity to study the hangar and the ship for a bit.

It was clearly a Corellian built cargo freighter. It was painted white entirely, with the word 'Hames' printed on each side. The front was shaped like a beak, while the back was wider and featured wings. Vidomina made a mental note of the model.

She found Cosmo a couple of times until it was time for dinner. At the end of playtime, she found him hugging her leg all the time. She giggled as she bumped into Yshua like that.

"Told you it worked," he said with a smile. "Come on, Cosmo, let's get you something to eat, shall we?" He offered to pick him up and carry him around, but Vidomina did it herself. "I'm impressed. A few hours ago he didn't even look at you and now you two are inseparable."

They bumped into Padora on their way to the dining room. "Oh look how cute the two of you are!" she gasped. "What did you do?"

"Oh, we played some hide and seek, as you both tipped, and it worked like a charm, really."

"Oh, that is so great! Where did you play?"

"The hangar, I think it was."

Padora's smile suddenly disappeared. "The hangar? What were you doing there?"

Vidomina's heart started racing. "Wasn't that allowed? I'm sorry, I didn't know. Cosmo wanted to go there." It was the truth. She did discover the hangar by accident.

"Oh, my bad," she said. The smile returned. "I should have told you. I'd rather not have Cosmo in that place with all the tools and electricity thingies and stuff. He loves it there, though. Maybe he'll be a spaceship pilot one day, just like his father." She giggled.

* * *

Vidomina dined with the rest of the staff and left soon after she received her payment on her credit chip. She said goodbye to all of them, including Cosmo, and headed for her speeder. The hotel was empty. She opened a drawer and took a com-device from it. She pressed a button and waited until the hologram of Na-quam appeared.

"Yes, Vidomina?"

"The first day was a success, Master. I found the freighter. It is suitable for our purposes." She told him what model it was.

"Well done, my padawan! That's faster than anticipated. Good work!"

"Thank you, Master. I'll talk to you again tomorrow. Doesn't look like I'll be finding out much, since I'm going to meet her boyfriend."

"No problem, Vidomina. Don't rush it. Your cover is more important for now than that freighter."

"Understood." She pressed the button and the hologram disappeared.

* * *

Kathra was glad to finally find Jaden. "Come on, Jedi, you're needed."

Jaden shook his head. "I can't…"

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. She sounded rather annoyed. "Look, we all know it's hard to face our demons, but if you don't do it now, there's gonna be a crapload of more demons headin' this way and you'll have regrets."

"No, you don't understand…"

"Move it, Jedi!" she belted out of nowhere.

Jaden was visibly shocked by her response. At least he started moving. Kathra didn't like him. She had to admit it took some kind of bravery to switch sides like that, but she also knew that he once switched sides from light to dark just as easily. She didn't trust him and wondered why Desann and Manolan did.

They walked past the residences to the prison area. It wasn't much of a prison. There were some holes dug in the caves with some force field covering them. There was one particular cell that apparently was interesting. It had attracted the presences of Desann, Manolan, Rel Mook, and two other Clan members named Jushi Kran and Pfeo Nammoso. Just before they reached the cell, Jaden jumped back again.

"I can't do this." He breathed heavily and his heart was racing. Kathra noticed sweat on his forehead.

"Get a grip," she sneered as she slapped him softly.

"Be nice, Kathra," sounded Desann's voice. He had noticed the two coming and approached them. "Jaden, we know this is hard, but we need you here now. Come."

Jaden slowly walked towards the cell. He peered inside.

Kyle jumped up. "There you are, traitor! You think you can just turn away from the dark side, Jaden? Think again! It will forever dominate your destiny!"

Jaden turned to Desann. He spoke hastily and panicky. "Is he clean? Perhaps he's carrying a transmitter. Did you scan him? Disarm him?"

"Relax, Jaden!" spoke Desann softly. "They captured him in the city and stripped him down on the spot. He is clean." He showed Jaden Kyle's sabre. Jaden visibly calmed down.

"Look at me, Jaden!" shouted Kyle. "As soon as I get out I'm going to rip off your limbs one by one!"

"You are quite the loose cannon, Kyle Katarn," spoke Desann. "One would think Jerec would pick a thinker, a strategist, as his second in command."

"Well, clearly he didn't." Kyle shrugged.

"Perhaps he is growing senile. Such power as given to him by the Valley tends to have such an effect. It might make him… unstable?"

"We both know that the Emperor's power is unstoppable, Desann. There is no point in resisting. We have already won."

"Really? And what are you doing in our cell then?"

"The key to the Emperor's power is the Emperor himself, you fool! My captivity here will only lead him to this place and destroy this clan for good! You're better off killing me now!"

"Perhaps we should."

Kyle remained silent.

Desann laughed. "You'll learn your respect for us, Katarn. We are no half-assed Jedi such as you know from the Academy… we are the Reborn and we are not afraid to make our hands dirty… if the situation calls for it." Desann felt Jaden's eyes in his side. "Jaden, we need you to make him talk. Find out what he knows."

Kyle laughed maniacally. "Ha, you can't make me talk yourselves and then you expect this guy to make things better? He's a joke! Hardly ever could kill anyone! Horrible swordsman. Good traitor though."

"Kyle," said Jaden, "what bothers you most? The fact that I left the Emperor or that I left you?"

The Dark Jedi seemed a bit confused. "Why would you ask that? Does it matter?"

"I'll tell you what I think. We used to be a good team. You stood up for me against Jerec, for which I owe you my life, probably. You don't care about Jerec. You just miss having a partner with whom you could laugh, joke, and fight side by side."

Kyle sighed and sat down on the soil. "Oh, Jaden… are you going to play that card now? Am I the angry ex-girlfriend now? Well, we were a good team, that's for sure. I did the killing, you made the mess I could clean. I always thought you'd grow into it… and now it seemed that you were only pretending, only acting to be one of us!"

"Now it makes sense!" Jaden grew excited. "You're pissed because I outsmarted you! Tell me, did Jerec give you a good beating for it?"

Katarn growled, swore, rose up, and came closer to the force field. "How dare you! You arrogant swine! I should have destroyed you at the Academy… instead I spared your life, and for what? Trust me, boy, as soon as the army arrives here I'll be looking for you on the field… and I'll finish you!"

Jaden's method seemed to work. Katarn's rage had destabilised him and now he started dropping clues. Desann was impressed. He had been unsure if he'd had to interrupt.

"The army?" continued Jaden. "They don't even know you're here."

"Haha, you poor fool. You don't seriously think I was here on a charity mission? Within four rotations, the Reborn Clan and all associated with it will be destroyed! As for you, Jaden, you're mine!"

Jaden nodded at his former master and turned to Desann and Manolan. "I reckon these are either empty threats or there's truth. They somehow know that we're on Sullust."

Desann nodded. "Agreed. We must be extra careful." He turned to Manolan. "What do you think?"

"Well," said the High Chief, "no ships will leave the facility from now on until we figure out what to do. Double check incoming transports. How many of us are still away?"

"Just the three on Coruscant," replied Desann.

"Then we will only open our frequency for them. We need absolute silence for now."

* * *

Colonel Jonvidis hailed Coruscant.

"Lieutenant Anod here, sir. What can I do for you, Colonel?" He saluted.

Jonvidis saluted at the screen. "At ease, lieutenant. This is Colonel Jonvidis. We are looking for the Coruscant science officers. Are they still there?"

"No, sir, they disappeared with all their data and files two rotations ago."

"Any idea where they are now?"

"We checked flight data, but no unscheduled ships went through the blockade. They are either still here on the planet, or they were aboard another ship as intruders."

Jonvidis scratched his chin. "Hmm, so they could be anywhere… Do us a favour, would you, and search for them on Coruscant. I'll cough up a plan to search the rest of the galaxy."

"Yes, sir." The lieutenant saluted and the screen faded.

Jonvidis remained fixed in his chair for a while. It was a dead end. Searching Coruscant alone was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Searching the entire galaxy was… Where to start? There was no clue as to which ship they had travelled with… unless it was Fyyar's ship! The Colonel jumped up instantly. He reckoned he might be onto something here. He turned around and saw Admiral Mobbis talking to a Corporal, who was on the same job.

"Excuse me, Admiral," said Jonvidis. "Permission to leave the post in order to check out Fyyar's ship."

"Granted," said the Admiral without looking up.

The Colonel instantly went to the hangar. The ship had not been searched through extensively. Jonvidis was lucky, since it was an obvious starting point. He stopped walking when for a moment he remembered how Maw and Fyyar went away and the ship allegedly self-destructed. He continued when he remembered they were using Maw's shuttle.

He found Fyyar's barge in the hangar. He entered it and checked the travelling history. It had not been erased! Jonvidis followed the ship's journey from Coruscant and saw that it made a stop on Sullust before heading to Edusa! Sullust… that was where he needed to go!


	10. Chapter IX

Na-quam stared out the window. Many speeders flew by in all directions. It was crowded out there and it made him uncomfortable. It was only the second day that Vidomina would do her new job. Everyone grew impatient the longer they remained on Coruscant, but not being able to do anything made them restless. He turned around towards the dining table. Chewbacca, Lando, Nebba, and Nil'Ss were playing a game of dice. Chadrina and Robuk were on the sofa, talking again. Na-quam had noted that Robuk liked to spend a lot of time chatting with Chadrina and Nil'Ss. It didn't matter though. They had not been much trouble and regularly helped with domestic tasks. Things were calm in the hotel room. Everyone was trying to kill the time making jokes and telling interesting stories… or playing games. Na-quam couldn't help feeling something was off. Something big was about to happen.

* * *

Kyle sat still in his cell. It had been hours since they last attempted to make him speak. He had been thinking. There was nothing else he could do. All he could think about was how he hated Jaden. He couldn't pin down the reason why. He was a traitor and had to be punished, but this was different. This was personal. He hadn't just betrayed the Empire, he had betrayed Kyle too! His own failure of turning him into a proper Dark Jedi obviously played a part in it. He couldn't grasp how Jaden had been able to hide his true self from him all this time. Nothing had seemed what it was and it freaked him out.

There was no way he could send a message anywhere. Kyle had no chance of escaping either. The cave was sealed off. The walls were rocks, but solid metal was right behind them and he could not force a hole in any surface. He had attempted to reach out to Jerec through the Force multiple times, but was unsure whether the message had come across. He did sense those members of the Reborn Clan, though. Their fear increased the longer he was held captive. They felt it too; their hideout would not be safe for long. Holding him captive was foolish. The army would come and find him any time soon.

* * *

Jerec gently strolled through the palace gardens. He found the atmosphere around them soothing and relaxing. It was still early in the morning. He tried to sense the state of affairs in the galaxy. There was still peaceful silence for most of the time. Maw had returned a few rotations ago and reported of Fyyar's death. He had also requested a new shuttle, since his old one had been destroyed. Yun was still on Coruscant to control the population. He did a good job holding that blockade. Boc and Rosh were still patrolling the Inner Rim. He had to admit that he did not have a use for Rosh in his plan. The boy was weak. The only reason Jerec spared him was because he was loyal. After all, he kept Boc occupied. He still had to find a more permanent station for the Twi'lek. He was annoying to be around and Jerec already had two dogs on his leash. Kyle Katarn was still on Sullust and had not reported in yet. Jerec assumed he was still searching. He had to admit there was something off about the whole affair with the Reborn. He sensed that there was more to the issue than just the Clan, but he wasn't sure how.

* * *

Padora felt excited. Today was an exciting day, after all. Not only was it the start of a weekend after a long week full of applications for the relax-buddy vacancy, but they were headed somewhere special today. Her boyfriend would come over and they'd get a free tour of the government facilities. She was also excited to meet Vidomina again. Out of all the applicants, she had been the first to be genuinely fun to talk to. She was quite young and inexperienced at life, but not unwilling to learn at all. In addition, Padora found she was quite intelligent. While the relax-buddy function was actually just a modified version of the baby sitter job, she noted that very different kind of people applied to the latter; none of whom she wished to hire. Admittedly, sixteen was a young age for a friend, but Padora hoped, with luck, that she would be able to mentor the young girl in her life.

She took a quick shower, got dressed, and headed to the dining room for some breakfast. Casto, the chef, had already prepared some food. Padora knew he loved the weekends too. She had given him all the freedom to experiment and come up with ideas on cooking in the weekends. He did not even have to stay for the entire weekend, but he had no family on the side and liked to cook for people, so he was nearly always at the mansion. Padora appreciated it anyway. He was a good cook and rarely spoiled dinner. She quickly ate her breakfast and headed for Cosmo's bedroom. The toddler greeted his mother with a loud scream as she woke him up gently. She took him downstairs.

"Excuse me, miss Hames, but the relax-buddy has arrived." The butler droid turned away again.

"Hi Pereilia, sweetie, good morning!" She greeted her with three kisses. "Looking forward to today? This is going to be fun!"

"Yeah, I'm really curious," breathed Vidomina, still getting used to the hugs and kisses Padora liked to give her. "What's he like?"

Padora threw her hands in the air and made a whistling sound. "Well, where to start? He's mighty handsome; dark hair, dark eyes, tall, charismatic… he always makes me feel like he's in control of everything, you know? But he's kind of a bad boy too, in a sense." She giggled. "You just wait until you meet him. We have a surprise for you too."

"When will he be here?" asked Vidomina.

"Just before lunch, so we'll have the morning for ourselves! Let's go to the market and get some groceries."

* * *

Corporal Thoronis was waiting for him.

"Did you gather many?" asked Jonvidis.

"About twenty officers. You have a plan?"

"Yes. I need a ship."

"How do you plan on getting a ship?"

"Fyyar's barge."

"Too risky! Everyone will be searching for you!"

"Have a better idea?" Jonvidis sighed impatiently.

"It'll come to us. I'll think on it." Thoronis left the cantina.

Jonvidis unpacked his sandwich. The Corporal had raised a valid point. How would they get out of there without things getting suspicious? Someone sat down opposite him at the same table. The Colonel recognised Admiral Perlon.

"Afternoon, Admiral," said Jonvidis. "Enjoying a well-deserved break?"

The Admiral laughed nervously. "Well, I'm not sure it's well-deserved…"

"How so?"

Perlon looked at him and hesitated. "You know how it is…"

Jonvidis sat back and scrutinised his superior. "Did the Emperor give you a rough time again?" He knew that's what the Emperor liked to do. For sport.

The Admiral nodded. He spoke softly. "Just part of the job."

"What was wrong?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"We can try to prevent it from happening again?" Jonvidis knew this was his chance.

"Th…" He sighed. "There's no point, he'll find other reasons. Can we talk about something else?"

The Colonel nodded and leaned back. "Sure." He took a sip from his soup. "It doesn't have to be like this forever. There is an alternative."

Admiral Perlon's eyes widened. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"I know you've thought about it. We're being treated like Bantha feces. Fyyar, you. Where does it stop? How many more must be sentenced to death?"

"I can't listen to this…"

Jonvidis grabbed his arm. "Wait, Admiral… you are not alone. Something is happening. All we need is a ship to get out of here… your ship!"

The Admiral rose. "No, dammit! This is madness!" He strode out the cantina with his hands in his hair. Jonvidis wasn't sure whether his method had worked. Perhaps he had been too straightforward. This could mean the end of their little movement. They had to leave today.

* * *

Boc giggled as he sent the officer to his death. He deactivated his lightsabre and returned it to his belt. How he liked punishing the army. He turned around. Promoted a random soldier and resumed his walk. He knew Rosh liked to distance himself from him when this happened. The apprentice was weak. How could he ever become a good Dark Jedi when he feared others more than they feared him? Boc shook his head at the thought of it.

"There's a ship in orbit of Tanaab, Master," reported Rosh. "What shall we do with it?"

"I'm glad you ask, little one," said Boc. "Let's board them and have a look at what they're doing!" He giggled again.

"You heard him!" shouted Rosh to a nearby officer. They instantly moved around passing orders further down the chain of command. Rosh turned to his master again. "If you ask me, I think it's just some merchant ship."

Boc grinned. "That is exactly why I don't ask you."

They waited for the men to arrange the boarding party and to attach the ship to their Imperial battle cruiser. Boc and Rosh were the first ones to enter. The people inside were apparently caught by surprise. Boc activated his lightsabre, which he spun around playfully. They patrolled through the ship, inducing fear among the merchants. Rosh found this particular boarding very pointless. Boc insisted that they were not merchants and inquired who their leader was. A tall Zabrak man came forward.

"We were doing nothing wrong," he said. He had a low voice and his torso was filled with tattoos.

"Yeah, yeah," said Boc. "I recognise this ship. This is the _Yellow Armada_ , is it not?"

The man was visibly a bit distressed by this question. "Yes, why?"

"Back in the day," began Boc as he strolled around comfortably, "the _Yellow Armada_ was the property of a certain bounty hunter… what's his name? Ah, yes, Teo Danillos. Where is he?"

The Zabrak man pointed to the the wall. A hidden door opened and a man of Bith origin emerged through a secret door, covered in armour. "Looking for me?"

"Ah, yes." Boc took a closer look. "Funny, I always thought you'd be more tiny."

The bounty hunter didn't know how to respond. He sniggered nervously as Boc still had his lightsabre ready to strike. "Have I encountered you before, Jedi?"

"No, you have not! But I have heard of you… You were once one of those slave traders, were you not?"

"That was a long time ago!" He was now genuinely scared.

"Forgotten nor forgiven!" screamed Boc as he sliced the bounty hunter into pieces. He giggled as he went, but Rosh did spot the tears of rage in his eyes. As soon as they'd come, they left again.

* * *

Maw floated angrily through the many officers and troopers. He looked at them, but they appeared no different. They felt very different, though. There was an unusual amount of fear among them. He wanted to know why. He grabbed one by the shoulder.

"What is wrong with you?!" he belted. The soldier had not expected it, dropped his plate with hot soup, and widened his eyes. Maw let him go roughly and grunted. He passed a few more, but now they all looked at him with a combination of surprise and fear. "WHAT?!" he shouted. They all backed up and went on with whatever they were doing.

Maw headed up to Jerec's office. He knocked politely.

"Come in, Maw!" he heard the Emperor shouting from the other side. Maw opened the doors and saw Jerec standing at the far side of the room. He spoke softly. "I know why you have come here, Maw."

As if he hadn't heard that, Maw spoke. "Something is very wrong with the troops, Master. Can you feel it? It's almost as if they fear us more now…"

"I share your worries, Maw. Yet I have no clue what they might be onto. We shall await and see what will happen and act accordingly."

Maw grunted.

* * *

Yun happily left his office. Jerec had permitted him a day off. There wasn't a lot happening in Coruscant at the moment, but neither was there in any other place of the galaxy. Until Jerec knew where to find the Reborn, Yun would be stuck on Coruscant. He called his personal guards and entered his barge. He couldn't wait. Jerec didn't know yet, but Yun had slipped away from the office in the evenings to enjoy the local bars. Of course he had his guards with him, but he hadn't needed them ever. There was a particular person he was glad he had met. He would see her now and they would spend the day together. He had not forgotten what happened to Sariss, his mentor. Yun remembered all too well how Kyle and Sariss had endangered themselves by allowing their hearts to weaken their minds… he remembered how it had been fatal to Sariss. He would not make the same mistake.

They arrived at the mansion. Yun eagerly got off his ship and told the guards to remain there. He knocked on the large doors. A little camera appeared from the wall.

A robotic voice said, "To whom do we owe the pleasure?"

"You know who I am, BT-17LN," Yun said with a bored tone. When the doors finally opened he hastily pushed the protocol droid aside and strode through the entrance hall of the mansion. He knew exactly where to go. The weather was really good, so she'd probably be in the gardens. He stepped outside and inhaled deeply. The smell of the fresh and exotic flowers entered his nostrils. He knew she liked to import flowers from all over the galaxy. She had even hired a gardener to take care of the plants. As he walked further into the gardens he saw the long table surrounded by some of her staff and finally… he saw her.

"Padora!" he shouted with a smile. She saw him too and came racing at him. She jumped into his arms and they kissed for a bit. "It's good to see you again."

"I missed you!" she said. She kissed him again, before they let go of each other.

Yun suddenly felt curious. He wasn't sure he felt what he thought he felt, but it felt like a disturbance of some kind. He scanned the garden, but all he could see was flowers. Yun looked at the staff. He knew every single one of them by name; all of them, except for one. The moment he had seen her, he wondered. The Force was strong within her, he felt it. She had not noticed him yet.

"A new face?" he asked Padora casually.

"Yes, I want you to meet her!" she laughed. "Pereilia, come here!" Yun saw the young girl with pitch black hair approach them. As soon as she noticed Yun her face grew dim for a moment. Her smile disappeared. She felt it too, Yun knew it. Padora had no clue what was going on. "Hey, Pereilia, this is my boyfriend Yun!"

"Nice to meet you, Pereilia," said Yun monotonously as he forced a smile.

Vidomina felt tense and also forced a smile, but less convincingly. "Yes…" was all she could say. She breathed heavily, obviously distraught. Padora looked at her and frowned.

"Well, aren't you shy." She smiled again. "No need to be careful, this is my guy and he is cool." She explained to Yun how she had never been with a man in her life without her hearing it. Yun didn't really care. He didn't want to ruin the ambience as Padora clearly had done her best at making this lunch memorable.

They sat down at the table. The chef approached and served lunch.

"All right, hope you will enjoy this fruit salad," said Padora. "Casto here has prepared it from ingredients Cosmo, Pereilia, and I got from the market."

Yun smiled at her, but regularly glanced at Vidomina. Padora seemed to notice, for she gave him a soft kick under the table. Yun immediately shot her a complicated look. She seemed to understand it, for she began eating her bit of the salad.

"By the way, Pereilia," she said as if nothing had happened, "I told you we had something special planned, didn't I?" She grinned widely. "Guess what, Yun is going to give us a free tour of the government facilities!" She awaited a reponse.

Vidomina seemed to only have partly listened as she replied in a distracted manner. "Oh, yay, that sounds cool." She nervously sniggered.

Padora looked at her to see if something was wrong, but in the end just seemed to accept it as part of the alleged shyness. "Yun, why don't you tell us something about it? Just to get the enthusiasm flowing here." It seems she was trying hard to break the tension she, too, noticed was there.

Yun swallowed a piece of fruit. "Okay, then. We'll be going through the military academy, where the troops are training; that's truly a sight to behold. We'll also see the war bridge, the old senate building, and let's not forget about the offices. The science labs are unfortunately off limits, for now."

Yshua replied. "Sounds like you're in for a treat." He continued talking to Padora, but Yun didn't listen. He closed his eyes. He knew Vidomina was scared. Did she know why? Was she trained in the ways of the Force or was she unspoilt? He tried to reach out to her through the Force. He immediately opened his eyes as she shut him out. He turned towards her. She stared at her plate. She had not eaten.

Vidomina panicked. She knew he was one of the Dark Jedi of Jerec. What did he know about her? He knew she was Force-sensitive. She felt his eyes poking. But did he know that she was a padawan? What was she to do? He would certainly want to capture her. Either he would kill her or he would try to turn her. There was no way she could take him on… certainly not now her lightsabre was with her Master. She had to find a way to get out of here. If she joined them on the tour through the enemy's camp, she'd be captured for sure. She had to get out.

"Padora?" She interrupted a vibrant conversation between her employer and two of her staff members. Yun was still staring at her uninterruptedly. "Please excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom."

Padora looked at her with a worried look. "Are you all right? You're sweating all over."

Vidomina nodded and smiled unconvincingly as she got up and walked away. As soon as she was out of sight she started running. She stepped inside and bumped into Casto, the chef.

"Hey, what's the hurry?" He stopped her. He, too, appeared worried as he stared into her eyes. "What's wrong?" Vidomina remained silent and tried to go. Casto stopped her again. "Is it Yun? Did he kill someone you knew?" Vidomina looked up, wondering why he'd ask, but then she realised Yun had a reputation. Casto's grip loosened and she ran away. She did not go to the bathroom, but headed for her speeder instead.

Padora followed her. Something was wrong with Pereilia, she knew it. Poor thing. Just when she stepped inside, she saw Casto. He beckoned her.

"Pereilia has gone home. I gave her permission," he lied. "I think your boyfriend might have killed some of her family."

Padora swore. She stopped to think for a moment. "That's not what we're going to tell. We'll tell them she had allergies… the fruit salad! Let's go."

Just as they were about to go outside again, Yun joined them. "Where did she go?" he demanded.

"She went home. Allergies," said Padora.

"Out of my way," he said as he pushed Casto aside. He quickly ran to the entrance hall, determined to follow that girl.

"Be careful with my relax-buddy!" she shouted.

* * *

Just when she took off, Vidomina heard the large doors open again. Yun came running towards the barge with the troopers at the end of the landing zone. He shouted something, but Vidomina quickly steered her airspeeder into the traffic lanes. She had a head start, but she wasn't sure for how long. Where would she go? She couldn't go to Na-quam… that would jeopardise the entire mission. She heard the barge behind her. When she looked back for a moment she saw that troopers on speeder bikes were two seconds behind her. She didn't like flying. She wasn't that good at it either and knew she could not shake them off. After a few misleading turns, Vidomina decided to go to her hotel room. There was nothing else she knew. She hadn't exactly spent enough time on the planet to explore the city. She flew her speeder as fast as she could around a few curves and eventually saw her hotel.

She parked her speeder, but not properly; she more or less jumped out as soon as she saw surface. When she looked back she did not immediately see the troopers. The distance must have been larger than she thought. She hasted inside and fell to her knees. She tried to control her breathing. She wanted to contact her Master and the others, but knew they would be lost if she was caught doing so. The troopers arrived. They did not enter, but secured the exits instead. Vidomina smelled her armpits and knew that her entire body was covered in sweat. She had never felt so afraid.

A few moments later she heard the barge arrive. This was it, she knew it. All she needed to do was conceal the others. Footsteps outside.

Yun looked at the hotel. It wasn't much and it did not give a luxurious impression. He figured she was likely a Force-sensitive child which never got picked up by the Academy when it was still active. What other explanation could there be? And why else would she be living in this hotel while working as a babysitter? Oh yes, he knew how Padora called it. He didn't care; to him, she was just a babysitter. Yun slowly walked to the troopers guarding the main entrance. "Let nobody in or out while I talk to her." They confirmed the order. Yun reached the door, but it was locked. Of course, he reckoned. "Open this door." The soldiers approached with blowtorches and other tools, and proceeded to force a hole in the door. It didn't take very long. Yun kicked the door in when they were almost done and stepped through the opening.

Vidomina felt her heart beat faster as she heard footsteps approaching. She had decided to keep up her act. It was her only way out. If she was revealed to be a Jedi padawan, he would kill her surely, she reckoned, or at least he would make her talk about the others. Perhaps if she could play innocent, she would survive. The footsteps came closer. Yun emerged from around the corner. He looked at her with a determined look. She knew he was powerful.

Yun felt powerful. Before him was a girl of approximately sixteen years old, cowering on the sofa. He closed his eyes. The Force was really strong in her. He wasn't sure what that meant. There was no time to ask Jerec, he had to act now.

"The Force is strong with you," he said as he opened his eyes. Vidomina did not reply. She did not even dare look at him. Yun continued. "Who are you?"

Vidomina stared at the floor. "Pereilia Nebula," she said softly.

Yun wasn't sure what to do with this. "What were you doing at the Hames mansion?"

The girl looked up for the first time and sported a look of confusion. "I have to get by." Her head hung down again.

"Why did you run?" The Dark Jedi was running out of questions. She had to give him some reason to draw his sabre.

"I was afraid." Her voice was almost reduced to a whisper. She was dead honest. Vidomina felt the insecurity in Yun and hoped to be able to take advantage of it.

"Afraid of what?" He now sounded disbelieving.

Vidomina looked up again. "Y-you… It feels really unpleasant…"

"Are you a rebel?"

"What? No!" She felt genuinely alarmed.

"Are you a Jedi?"

She now remained silent and casually shook her head.

"How do I believe you?" he barked. "Are you alone?" He looked around to see if there was at all any space to hide a second person. He sensed no other presences.

"I am alone…," she whispered. Her voice sounded squeaky for a moment. She realised she should not come across as too calm, which would indicate training. She retracted her legs and made herself small. She rested her head on her knees. She believed her own words. She was alone. The others were too far away to notice what was going on here. It genuinely made her feel small.

"We'll see if I can find your lightsabre…," said Yun as he began opening all drawers, cabinets, and hatches. He found one box with a lock and a small vault which he threw at her feet. "Open it." Vidomina obeyed. Her hands shook as she unlocked both. She handed them back to Yun. The Dark Jedi eagerly took the vault and emptied its contents on the floor. He was disappointed to only see some credits.

"I don't have a lightsabre," Vidomina told him.

Yun looked at her. He had doubts. Her story seemed good. There was no sign of a bigger picture she supported and the lack of a lightsabre indicated her unawareness. "Do you know why I've come here?"

She shook her head. "Y-you smell fear?" she said hesitantly.

He laughed. "Well, well… It seems we are dealing with an unspoilt flower here." He slowly walked towards her. He wasn't sure if he trusted completely, though, but the evidence seemed in her favour. He sat down beside her on the sofa. "You and I will be spending a lot of time together."

Vidomina now felt a fear of a completely different kind. She wasn't sure what he meant. She decided to play dumb. "Y-you're arresting me? For what?"

Yun sniggered. She was still very young, but she was pretty. "Do you know what you are, Pereilia?"

Vidomina shot him a questioning look.

"You are special. There are things you must have noticed that made you different from all the others, aren't there?"

Vidomina stared at the floor. She couldn't play that dumb. "Sometimes… when I'm angry… things shake…"

"That is just a sign of your power, Pereilia. You can learn to control and improve that power by learning the ways of the Force."

She now quickly turned to him and tried her best to look surprised. "Do I… feel the Force?"

Yun nodded. "Yes. That is why you responded to me the way you did… we share a connection through the Force. I believe the Force has led me to you, Pereilia. It was our destiny to meet."

Vidomina closed her eyes and rested her head on her hand for a bit. "What does this mean?"

Yun smiled. "You will be trained in the ways of the Force. You will learn to call me Master." He caressed her long black hair with his right hand.

Vidomina was perfectly all right with him attempting to turn her, but the caressing felt really uncomfortable. She hesitantly looked at him. He was smiling at her.

The Dark Jedi looked at her. A diamond in the rough. If he were the one to flesh her out and to define her, she would become powerful, but he would earn the credit. He stared at her. She was really pretty, he thought. Her black hair felt soft. He noticed that her green eyes told him to stop touching her.

His smile disappeared. He could not allow her to tell him what to do. _He_ was in control. _He_ had the power. Yun leaned forward and tried to kiss her. He noticed that she turned away from him and attempted to resist, but he was stronger. He forced himself on top of her and began touching her body.

Vidomina didn't know what was happening, but she couldn't pretend anymore. With all the power she could gather, she called upon the Force to push him off of her. With enormous force, Yun flew to the ceiling and crashed on the kitchen cabinet. She cried as she realised what she had done. The Dark Jedi got up hesitantly, feeling his back, but soon approached her with anger in his eyes. He activated his lightsabre and pointed the yellow blade at Vidomina.

Yun heard his com-device beep. He grabbed it and answered the incoming call. A hologram of Padora appeared. "Yun, sweetie, are you coming back? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I will be with you shortly," he replied. "Everything is fine."

"And Pereilia?"

"She will be fine… she just has to learn her place… and then she'll be fine." He looked at Vidomina as he spoke those words. He deactivated both the device and the lightsabre. He hurried to leave the hotel room.

Vidomina was unsure what would happen now. Were they going to let her alone? She heard Yun talk to the guards.

"Should we bring her to the prison, sir?" asked a trooper.

"No. She is too dangerous. I will escort her myself. Don't let anybody in and don't let anybody out. If she tries to leave, kill her. She is unarmed."

She heard the barge take off and saw it fly away through the window. She heaved a sigh of relief. It was over.

* * *

Na-quam rolled the dice. As soon as the numbers surfaced he smiled.

"This is the third time in a row you win," said Lando with disappointment. "It's not fair."

"Gambling never is," said the Jedi Master. He briefly looked at Chewbacca and Rilus before he took the dice and prepared for another roll.

"Master," interrupted Robuk. "I'd like to talk to you for a moment, is that okay?"

Na-quam looked at the Rodian surprised. "Sure, Robuk."

"Don't get up," Robuk said hastily. "When this is all over… I'd like to join the Reborn Clan."

"What?!" exclaimed Lando.

Na-quam instantly gestured him to shut up. "Are you sure that is what you want, Robuk?"

The Rodian nodded. "I believe it is the will of the Force that I join them, Master."

The elderly Jedi thought on it for a moment. "We all must follow our own path."

Suddenly Nil'Ss approached them. "Na-quam, your communicator is beeping, shall I get it?"

Na-quam looked up. Who on earth would contact him on that channel at this time of day? Only Vidomina had his frequency, but she was supposed to be at work now. Unless it was an emergency. He quickly got up, almost knocked over the table, apologised for spilling Lando's drink, and hastened himself to the com-device. Vidomina appeared as a hologram. She looked tired, worn out, and flat out traumatised. She wasn't standing or sitting either, but lying on the floor.

"Vidomina, my padawan, what's wrong?"

Vidomina breathed for a bit and then uttered, "Help."

* * *

"Colonel, you are summoned," said Admiral Mobbis.

Jonvidis closed his eyes. Had Perlon ratted him out? "By whom?"

"Admiral Perlon requires your help. Apparently there are some issues with the new training programme. You must advise. Don't worry, we are on top of this one."

Colonel Jonvidis was unsure what Perlon wanted from him. If he had been ratted out, it would've been Jerec or Maw who would have summoned him. He obeyed, left his station, and headed for the offices.

Admiral Perlon sat behind his desk. "Sit down, Colonel," he said. "This meeting is strictly unofficial."

"Sir?"

Perlon looked Jonvidis right in his eyes. "I'm in. You have my ship."


	11. Chapter X

Kyle Katarn looked through the force field. It wouldn't be long now before the army would come, he felt it. The end of the terrorist organisation known as the Reborn Clan was near. He saw the some of clan members walk past the cell block. Four of them actually entered it.

"Katarn," spoke Desann. "We've been talking. We're going to execute you."

"What, no fair trial?" Kyle joked.

"I'm afraid not."

"Seriously," Kyle said, "what's the hurry?"

"There's no hurry. Don't make any sudden movements. You are to follow our lead." He wasn't sure whether this was a good idea, but it was Manolan's command.

"Define sudden movement. If I announce beforehand that I will definitely escape, does that count?"

One of the others, a Sullustan man, pulled out a pair of binders. "You are going nowhere."

* * *

Na-quam, Chewbacca, and Nebba had returned with Vidomina. Lando was relieved.

"Please tell me the mission is not jeopardised!" he cried. They put Vidomina on the sofa and fed her some soft drinks and food.

"I don't know what to tell you," said Na-quam, "but Yun found her."

There was unrest among those present. Chadrina gasped. Rilus put his hand on his mouth.

"If you're ready, tell us your story, Vidomina," said Lando, who took place opposite her.

For the next twenty minutes, Vidomina told them all that had happened. From the moment she first sensed Yun's presence, to the unpleasant encounter in her hotel room. She left out the bit where he started touching her, though. It didn't seem important right now.

"We need to act now," said Rilus decisively. "If you guys killed those troopers at her hotel and took her away from where Yun is expecting to find her… the whole planet will be on red alert!"

"Agreed," said Na-quam. "We must leave today."

The door opened. Han Solo entered. "We're all here, waiting up front. Care to tell us why we had to rush over here?"

"We'll do that on our way to the mansion," said Lando.

"Please," Vidomina begged. "Do not hurt Padora or her staff… or her child. They are good people."

"You know we will try, Vidomina," said Na-quam as he handed her back her lightsabre. He then looked at Chadrina and Nil'Ss. "I think you two have earned these back." He tossed them their lightsabres and they exchanged smiles.

"Let's go!"

* * *

There was no time for stealth. No time consuming measures of not flying in groups, this time the whole group went at the same time. They did fly with some distance between the airspeeders, though, to avoid forming a cluster. They were in a hurry, but still did not wish to attract attention in case it hadn't been pulled yet.

They parked their speeders in front of the large doors of the Hames mansion.

"Perhaps we should conceal them somehow?" suggested Chadrina. "We wouldn't want any patrol to see these."

"No time! If all goes well we're off the planet within the hour anyway," stated Lando.

Han looked at his friend. He had truly grown into a leader. Everyone had always looked at Han for leadership and advice, but all this time he hadn't felt it. He had lost the urge to speak up and direct. Lando had taken up that task instead and the transition had been very natural. Han actually wasn't bothered by it. He was more flabbergasted than anything else when he considered how Lando was when he was younger. He sniggered to himself.

Vidomina walked to the large doors and knocked. She had told them that the mansion had a built-in alarm system that would trigger alarms at the Imperial security centre. Thus they wished to avoid breaking in. She knew Padora wasn't home, because she was still on that trip with Yun. The droid answered.

"To whom do we owe the pleasure?"

"Hi, it's me, Pereilia."

"And who are those other people?" The camera turned towards the others.

"Friends. They'll help me organise a party for Padora."

They held their breath while the droid made up its mind. "Hmm… no sorry I can't allow that to happen."

"Come on, BT-17-something! You know me! I'm the only one of the staff who doesn't push you when I see you."

"Yes, they are quite rude indeed, but I cannot allow you in."

Vidomina turned around to the others and shrugged. Na-quam was thinking of an alternative way. He felt a tap on his shoulder. Chadrina and Nil'Ss gestured with their sabres.

"May we?" they smiled.

Na-quam looked at Lando and Han, and nodded.

The Reborn Clan members walked to the doors and began cutting an opening. As soon as they had hit the durasteel of the door, they heard an alarm go off inside.

"Hurry up!" shouted Lando.

It took a while before the opening was made. One by one they quickly entered. Lando and Na-quam went last. The old Jedi saw a patrol of stormtroopers approach the mansion.

"Here they come!" he shouted as he deflected the first blaster shots.

Vidomina looked at the entrance hall. She led the others to the rightmost corner from where she had entered the hangar last time. Just when she thought it was all right, she bumped into Yshua, carrying Cosmo.

"What are you?" he asked fearfully as he eyed her lightsabre hanging now from her belt. Cosmo greeted her happily with a smile and an enthusiastic scream. He forced himself down to the ground, ran to Vidomina, and clamped to her leg.

"I'm a Jedi," she said. "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt any of you, unless you get in our way." She tried to get Cosmo away from her, but she was unsuccessful.

Han cleared his throat. "We're in a hurry, remember?"

Vidomina turned around. "I can't let Cosmo see all this. Here's my keycard, it should unlock that door" – she pointed – "which leads to the hangar. I have to take care of this."

* * *

Padora felt something tickle in her side. She reached down her bag and found the alarm sensor. The alarm went off inside the mansion? In the afternoon? If there were thieves, they had balls for operating at this hour. Padora didn't really care. Would Cosmo be safe? She grabbed a portable com-device from her bag. Yshua's hologram appeared.

"Milady, there is a major break-in at the mansion! It seems to be some group of freedom fighters. Pereilia is part of them. I'm not sure what they're after, but it's not money nor our lives. Come back quickly!"

"Understood, Yshua. Take care of Cosmo." The device was turned off. She looked at the nearest officer. "Tell Yun that I've gone back to the mansion. There's an alarm, I should go back."

The officer affirmed. Yun had been called away for a moment by one of the higher officers. It would only take a minute, he had said, but he had been gone for at least fifteen. She reckoned she'd see him back at the mansion if he heard of the alarm.

* * *

"Prep the freighter!" shouted Lando. "We'll hop aboard as soon as we're ready to go!"

It had turned into quite a firefight outside as multiple patrol units had arrived and fired at the intruders. Thuk, Rilus, Lando, and Ackbar returned fire from behind the doors. Chadrina, Nil'Ss, and Robuk were dancing in front of the doors, blocking incoming shots and sending them back to whoever shot them.

Han led the others through the mansion to the hangar. The freighter was inside. A huge white freighter. If this vessel was operational, it would be their rescue. Wedge led the remainder of Rogue Squadron inside and began setting it up for take-off.

"Han!" he shouted. "Han, the fuel tank is empty! The hyperdrive is broken! The condenser stabiliser is shaky. Think you can get some people to fix it?"

"Will do, Wedge!" Han looked around. "Chewie, you go fix that hyperdrive; I'll come and help you after I fix that condenser. Nebba, you try to find some fuel around here; there has to be! Gildo, find a way to open the hangar doors."

* * *

Vidomina led Cosmo into the garden.

"You're going to have to let me go now, little one," she smiled.

The child looked sad. Almost as if it would cry. Yshua had walked with them and looked at the two.

"You're not a bad person, Pereilia," he said. "I'll make sure Padora will hear it."

Vidomina smiled hesitantly. "My name is Vidomina."

Yshua nodded. "Why have you come here? What is your plan?"

"We are the rebellion. Padora's freighter was the only cleared vessel in the area. We have to get off this planet."

"And you couldn't have asked?" He seemed offended.

"When there's only a select few people who are still allowed to keep their freighters, you don't suppose they're sympathetic to a bunch of outlaws, do you?"

Yshua laughed. "Good point. This fight could turn rather nasty, though. I'll make sure we stay out of your way."

* * *

"How many are there?" shouted Rilus over all the blaster sounds.

"At least ten!" replied Ackbar. He suddenly yelled and grabbed his arm. He had been hit.

"Go to the freighter!" Lando told him. "We'll hold them off!"

Ackbar nodded and retreated from the doors. He hurried towards the hangar.

* * *

"Master!" shouted Nebba. "What do you suppose this is?" She had just opened a few containers to see if they contained fuel, but instead discovered weapons and explosives.

Na-quam approached her in the hangar and looked inside the containers. "I think we know why Padora was still allowed to keep her freighter now. We could use this! Me and those idle will load these upon the ship."

"Wait!" shouted Ackbar as he came in running, holding his arm. "Why not use them now? We could use the extra firepower."

"We shouldn't!" interrupted Anda. "We would destroy the whole mansion with these." She took one of the weapons. It was something they'd never seen before. It seemed a regular repeater rifle, but it was loaded with plasma grenades. "We have no idea what this would do. Let's try not to attract the attention of the whole bloody Imperial army!"

"I agree with Anda," said the old Jedi as he looked at Ackbar, "but if you find some regular rifles, feel free to use them."

* * *

Yun walked back to his office. Where was Padora? He had been planning something special. He approached a random officer.

"Have you seen Padora Hames? Blonde hair, early twenties, Human?"

"Sir, she has informed me that she had to go home, because of some alarm triggered at her house. I'm sorry I didn't tell sooner, I hadn't seen you."

Yun gestured him to proceed with whatever he was doing. He regretted the many interruptions of their day together, but understood that all matters had been urgent enough. An alarm at the mansion… he wondered what that could mean. Then it hit him: Pereilia! Perhaps there was a connection between her presence there and the current problem? Was she a Jedi after all?

"Corporal Manhid, come in," he said as he tried to call up the guards he left at the hotel to guard Vidomina. There was no reply. Yun swore loudly as he realised how foolish he had been. He had allowed his judgement to be influenced by his desire for Padora. There was no time to waste; he had to get to that mansion...

* * *

Padora had borrowed a speeder bike from the military centre. She saw the chaos at the main entrance and chose to land in her own garden instead. She instantly got off and was glad to see Cosmo being watched closely by Yshua, Casto, and Buella, the gardener.

"Thank the heavens you're all right, Cosmo!" she embraced him tightly. She soon got back on her feet. "Where is Pereilia?" She wasn't sure how she would respond to this treachery, but she needed to speak to her.

"They're all in the hangar," said the caretaker. "Tread lightly."

As she left, Cosmo immediately followed her. "Yshua, take Cosmo, please."

She found the lot in the hangar, but they weren't really paying attention to her. Padora noticed how the few men near the doors were firing to the outside, while the group in the hangar was turning the place upsidedown and for some strange reason were loading containers into the freighter. She saw Vidomina near an elderly man.

"Pereilia!" she yelled angrily as she approached. "What is this?!"

Both of them instantly turned towards Padora. Vidomina tried to smile. "I don't expect you to approve," she began.

"You're damn right! This is my property!" she hissed. "Why do you rob me? I don't believe this, I thought you were actually a nice girl."

"My name is not Pereilia Nebula, it's Vidomina Shades. I'm a Jedi padawan and these are refugees of the New Republic. We need your freighter and your weapons to get off the planet and prepare a revolution."

Padora looked at her from head to toe, but she didn't know what to say. Eventually she said, "Right…" She looked around for a bit. "I do not support this!"

Na-quam wanted to say something to her, but Vidomina pushed him away. "I'll handle this, Master." She turned to Padora. "We're not going to harm you, but you should not get in our way."

"You do know Yun is on his way here, right?" Padora bluffed. She hoped he had received the message by now, but had no real idea. She hoped she could frighten Vidomina with it, just like she had been frightened earlier that day.

"Let him come," she said simply.

Padora cried. "Ooh, you now sound so much older for your age… Do you have any idea what trouble I got through just to hire you? You can't do this to me!"

"Then come with us," Vidomina smiled as she put her hand on Padora's shoulder.

From a distance she saw Cosmo running towards the two with Yshua chasing him.

"Sorry, milady," said Yshua. "I couldn't stop him."

* * *

"All right, Chewie, I'm done here." Han found the Wookiee inside the freighter. He was complaining about missing parts. "Well, try to find something to replace it with. It'll have to hold until we reach a place where we can fix it up more permanently."

"Han!" shouted Nebba.

Han stuck his head out the entrance and saw the Twi'lek padawan holding a barrel.

"I found fuel! Five barrels full. I need help getting them on board."

"Right," said Han. He was just about to call in some people when he saw Na-quam, Anda, and Ackbar approach. "I'll make some room in here." He looked inside the vessel. "Leda! The fuel is here, can you fill her up?"

* * *

Suddenly Lando, Thuk, and Rilus came running inside.

"Are we ready to leave?"

"Five minutes," shouted Han.

"The whole army has arrived!" Rilus sounded panicky. "Those Reborn try to hold them off while we finish the prep."

A few minutes later Chadrina, Nil'Ss, and Robuk fled inside as well.

"Gildo, now!" shouted Han. Gildo obeyed and opened the hangar doors. The roof retracted sideways and revealed the bright sky. "All aboard!"

* * *

Yun marched inside. He would crush them. He didn't know what they were after, but they surely wouldn't succeed if he had anything to say about it. Stormtroopers positioned themselves near the door to the hangar, which was now closed. Without hesitation, he assembled Force energy and blew up that door.

He stepped in first. He tried to understand what he saw. A few figures were running to the freighter and got on. He saw Vidomina still in the middle of the hangar with Padora, Cosmo, and Yshua. They had stopped their conversation and looked at Yun expectantly. Stormtroopers entered the hangar through the opening behind him and locked their aim at Vidomina.

Vidomina had to decide fast. She grabbed Padora, activated her sabre, and threatened to kill her. "I will kill her, Yun! Hold your fire."

Yun swore. "Hold your fire, commander." This was exactly what Jerec meant with weakness. "You're bluffing, Pereilia… but I have to admit you're a fine actress… Jedi!"

"You're just an easy audience," she teased. "Test me." She whispered to Yshua, "Take Cosmo and get on board, now!" Yshua remained fixed. "Now!" The caretaker had not foreseen this. He shook from fear as he grabbed Cosmo and walked to the back of the freighter to enter.

The Dark Jedi hesitated. He did not want to kill Padora, but he had to. They could not escape; Jerec would never forgive him. "On my mark," he said.

"Noooo!" Padora screamed. "Yun, I don't want to die."

"It's a matter of priorities, dear," said Yun as he smiled at Vidomina. He knew that she did not want to harm Padora and would not let him do so.

"Padora, change of plans," she whispered in her ear. "I'm going to let you go as soon as they start firing. Don't run to him. I'll protect you from the blasts."

Padora spat on the floor.

"Think for a moment! Your boyfriend is about to order his men to shoot you!" Vidomina was slightly nervous, but she was trained for this.

"Fire!" shouted Yun.

The troopers immediately fired their rifles at the two. Vidomina threw Padora to the ground and deflected the shots with her sabre.

"Run, Padora!" she belted. She could not keep this up for long. Padora luckily got up soon and ran. She heard Cosmo's voice from inside the freighter.

"Cosmo!" Padora cried as she ran into the freighter.

"Vidomina, retreat!" shouted Na-quam from inside. Chadrina and Nil'Ss jumped out and helped Vidomina retreat safely.

Yun himself had left and retreated to the landing pad. He saw the freighter rise up from the hangar and depart for the atmosphere. "Red alert, all posts!" he spoke to a com-device. "The Hames freighter is due to leave for open space unauthorised. Shoot it down! Now!" He hurried towards his barge, intending to pick up a ship of his own to engage in pursuit.

Lando stepped out of the cockpit and shouted at the others. "Prepare for impact! We're almost in reach of the blockade."

"How big a chance do we have?" asked Vidomina, panting from the action.

"This baby is quite fast, thank the heavens, but we have few weapons. We'll have to rely on Wedge's manoeuvring skills." When Vidomina appeared doubtful, he added, "Don't worry, he's the leader of Rogue Squadron. He's pretty much the best there is."

* * *

Jerec walked to and fro in his office. He felt it all around him: unrest. Something big was about to happen. He had ordered Boc to return immediately, but the Twi'lek hadn't arrived just yet. He knew something was amiss.

The hologram of Yun appeared on his desk. "Master, I have troubling news. A band of rebels has stolen a freighter on Coruscant and is forcing a way through the blockade. I am in pursuit and will not rest until they are destroyed. On board are first class outlaws; prominent figures of the New Republic, survivors of the Academy sweep, and members of the Reborn Clan."

Jerec's attention was pulled. "Interesting."

"I just thought you wanted to know, Master."

"Yes, of course. This is a great opportunity! Try to disable their hyperdrive so they cannot jump to lightspeed. You will then follow them to Sullust. They will reveal the Reborn base."

"And if they do not go to Sullust, Master?"

"Destroy them. Make sure there is a distance and try to remain undetected. They should not go elsewhere."

"Understood, Master." The hologram faded.

Jerec frowned to himself. He should have seen this coming. He knew that the Reborn base was on Sullust, but Katarn had not reported in yet to confirm his suspicions. It had been too long. Jerec sensed something was wrong. That freighter could add another clue to its whereabouts.

Knocking on the door.

"Come in, Commander."

Admiral Mobbis entered. "Emperor, the _Vengeance_ is leaving!"

"What?!"

"Did you order Perlon on an unscheduled mission, sir?"

"No. Contact them." Jerec tried to remain calm. What was this insubordination? He had sensed before that there was an increasing amount of fear among the troops, but how did this move fit in to any of what was going on?

"We did, sir, but they did not respond."

Another officer came running. "Admiral… Emperor… they just jumped to hyperspace. They're gone."

"Leave them," concluded Jerec. "We will deal with them later. Admiral Mobbis, you are now my personal Admiral. Your ship will be my transport. Send the fleet to Sullust and await orders. I shall order Maw with you." As the Admiral left, Jerec was left to his thoughts. He was curious to see this come to pass. It was high time the Reborn Clan was destroyed. With any luck, everyone who opposed him would be eliminated at the same time. But who were these rogue troops aboard the _Vengeance_? A new enemy? Was the army to fight itself now? Time would tell.


	12. Chapter XI

Yun's battle cruiser soared through space. Their sensors indicated that the freighter was still within range. They could not make the jump to hyperspace, but they would not be able to detect his ship. It would be out of their sensor's range.

"Stay on this course, Captain," Yun said. If Jerec's plan worked, this would lead to the end of all forms of rebellion. Yun would certainly be rewarded.

* * *

The inside of the freighter was rather packed. A lot of boxes and barrels had not been placed in the cargo hold yet, so room was scarce. Those with flight experience were either flying the freighter or just present in the cockpit as spectators or to give direction. The rest was scattered between the boxes.

Padora hugged Cosmo. She was in tears and the toddler tried to comfort his mother. Yshua sat down, still horrified with what had happened. Vidomina looked at them. It had never been the plan to take them with. She regretted it too. It was a decision made in the heat of the moment. She thought they'd be good bargaining chips. Yun apparently didn't care about them. She could've seen it coming. There is no love in the dark side, only lust. She knelt down by Padora.

"I'm sorry."

Padora looked up. Anger was in her eyes. "You pointed a weapon at me! You stole my ship and my trade wares! You destroyed my house! You ruined my career! The best you've got is 'sorry'?" Vidomina left her head hanging. Padora spat on the floor. "Please! I haven't even mentioned the worst of all. You betrayed our friendship. Yes, I only knew you for two days, but I actually liked you!"

"I know… you didn't ask to be involved," Vidomina said, "and I'm sorry for that, but we had no choice. We were desperate."

"Save it. Just drop us off at the first next system and never come near us again."

Vidomina sighed. She got up again and left them alone.

* * *

Ackbar peered through the small windows of the cockpit. They were going at full speed, but not lightspeed. It was a miracle how they got past the blockade. They had all congratulated Wedge on his evasive manoeuvres, but was it that simple, really?

"I think they let us pass," said Ackbar. "It was too easy."

"Why would they do that?" asked Lando. "How would that benefit them?"

The Mon Calamari sighed. "I don't know that, yet. Perhaps they can follow us to see where we go."

"While I do think it's always good to be cautious," added Han, "at this point, there's nothing we can really do about it."

"What if we fixed the hyperdrive?" suggested Anda. "Going faster would eliminate all possibilities of ships following us."

Nil'Ss coughed. "If we're to go to the Reborn base, we better make sure we're not being followed."

Lando agreed. "Any ideas?"

"Yes," said the Zabrak. "Land somewhere where you can get the tools you need. Any ship following us should make itself known while in orbit."

"They might destroy us…"

"Not necessarily... They left us alive for a reason. We can even change ship. Make them confused."

"That might work," said Anda. "Perhaps we could even split up."

"But where could we land and find those resources?" asked Han.

Wedge joined the discussion. "We can stop at Malastare… but that would take a while. I suppose Corellia could do? I'm not sure how tight the Empire's grip is over there, though."

"Corellia should be fine," said Lando, "but I'd be more reassured if we could check if there was a blockade there too."

"We will know when we're close enough," replied Wedge. "It should take a while still, because I'm not going through the Deep Core. I've had far too many unpleasant experiences in there."

"Can we send a message to our High Chief?" asked Nil'Ss. "They would like to hear of our coming."

"I don't think we can risk that," answered Wedge. "If we are indeed followed, possibly our communications will be intercepted. We need to uphold the mystery destination for now. When we reach Corellia, we can determine whether we're being followed."

* * *

Na-quam left the cockpit and scanned the living area of the freighter. Several groups had formed and they chatted; sometimes hopefully, sometimes in despair. The boxes with weapons and the fuel barrels were scattered all over the place, sometimes separating one group from the others. He saw Vidomina, Nebba, and Robuk sitting on his immediate left. He overheard them.

"…so I felt it necessary to say this in person," said Robuk.

Nebba looked sad. "I can't believe you're actually leaving us."

Vidomina forced a smile. "We all must travel our own paths." She hugged him. "May the Force be with you, wherever yours will lead."

Na-quam was surprised at Vidomina. She had been through quite a lot. He admitted to himself he had slightly panicked when he heard of Yun's assault. The mission was not supposed to be a confrontation with the dark side. He had promised her infiltration only. She had handled herself extremely well under the circumstances by both resisting the dark side and misleading all involved. Her response to Robuk's news showcased her mental growth, he reckoned. It also couldn't have been easy to kidnap Padora like that.

The next group was to the far left, just before a stack of boxes. An elderly man known as Thesan sat on about the only bench present. It was part of the ship's interior design, which itself was quite luxurious. On the floor, a red carpet was laid and the walls were an elegant shade of ivory white, decorated with golden highlights. The boxes did ruin the otherwise cosy atmosphere of the ship. Thesan was talking with three men, whom Na-quam did not know very well. They were former soldiers in the New Republic army who happened to stay in contact with Han Solo, under whom they apparently served at the time. There were probably a whole lot more ex-soldiers scattered over Coruscant, but there had been no way to track all of them. At least not with the current security level on the planet.

To the far right, behind some boxes and a fuel barrel, sat Padora with her child and her caretaker. Na-quam moved a bit closer to hear what they were talking about.

"…blow them all to bits!" said Padora as she cried softly.

"What's the point of that? They didn't harm us, you know." Yshua tried to calm her.

"Didn't harm us, he says… she pointed her lasersword at my throat."

Na-quam felt the necessity to intervene. "How are you three holding up?"

"Bite me," spat Padora.

"Vidomina told me about you, Padora," he said as if he didn't hear it. "She told me how you were good people."

"Where does that get us?" she sneered.

"It is unfortunate that you are traveling with us… I suppose we owe you a sincere apology."

Padora gestured him to come closer. The Jedi obeyed. She whispered, "You want to apologise to us?" She then yelled, "THEN GIVE ME BACK MY STUFF AND LEAVE MY SHIP!"

Na-quam backed off instantly and covered his ears. He took a more sneering tone. "That will not happen and you know it. You can either accept your situation and try to make the best of it by being nice… or you can sulk in your little corner and cry. We'll not be landing any time soon, so suit yourself." He again felt his ears as he left them hastily.

Vidomina came running at him. "Master, what happened?"

"It doesn't concern you," he stated briskly.

The padawan looked slightly offended. "Calm down, Master. No need to be nasty." She quickly returned to Nebba and Robuk.

Na-quam closed his eyes. She was right, he knew it. He was the Master, but he had to act like one. He approached the last group, which was on the opposite side of the door compared to the padawans. Anda sat there alone, reading from a datapad. Apparently she had left the cockpit too. He joined her and sighed. He was tired.

* * *

"Perhaps he is right?" suggested Yshua. "I know the circumstances are not ideal, milady, but I think it'd be fair to hear them out. We both know how Pereil… Vidomina is a good person."

"Good person, my ass." She sobbed. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"Well, she did tell us to stay out of their way… Besides, if Yun hadn't threatened to kill her, we would not have been kidnapped."

"So that's it then… we're bargaining chips?"

"Not anymore… Yun made it clear he didn't care about you…"

Padora looked at her caretaker and raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to make me feel better? 'Cause you're doing a horrible job right now."

Yshua smirked and put his arm around her. "No, milady… I'm trying to advise you with reason. I cannot blame you for disliking this whole… ordeal, but I'm afraid the road back to our normal lives is not as easy as you think."

"I guess you're right…," sighed Padora. "Especially not now we cannot deliver our shipment to Nal Hutta. You lose the Hutts as clients in this business and you're as good as over." She caught her head in her hands and dried her eyes with her sleeve.

* * *

"Commander, report," Maw belted as he floated intimidatingly through the bridge.

The Admiral instantly saluted and began his report. "We will reach Sullust in a matter of minutes, sir. What are your orders?"

"Do not enter the system yet, Admiral. We want to surprise them, not alarm them." Maw scratched his chin. "Take cover in another system close by, but remain stand-by."

"Yes, sir," confirmed Admiral Mobbis. "Captain, forward the order to the other ships."

Maw rested as the officers were giving out the orders. He didn't like this one bit. He preferred to go to Sullust, find the bastards, and blow them to pieces just like that. Unfortunately for him, he had orders from Jerec. The Emperor had a feeling there was a bigger catch if they were patient. Maw knew that his Master was usually right. The cruiser dropped out of hyperspace.

"Sensor status?" informed Maw.

"Functional, sir," replied the Admiral. "But the Sullust system is out of range."

"Where are we now?" mumbled Maw. Just as the Admiral wanted to speak, he added, "Nevermind, I don't care anyway. Contact the SoroSuub and have them report to us."

"I'll will, hang on, sir." The Admiral forwarded the order to one of the lower ranked officers at the controls. "Ask them if there's anything out of the ordinary around Sullust."

"Yes, sir," replied the Corporal. It did not take long to get a response. "There seems to be a ship in orbit of the planet."

"What type?"

"It's one of ours, sir," said the Corporal as he looked confused.

Maw felt alarmed. "It's the _Vengeance_ …"

"Are you sure?" asked Mobbis. "It could be any ship. A patrol ship, or one of ours that didn't follow orders, or, -"

Maw grabbed him by the collar and looked him in the eye impatiently. "It is the _Vengeance_ , I sense it!" He let him go. "Remain here and let me know if anything changes. I'll report this to the Emperor right away."

* * *

Kyle followed the Clan members through a couple of caves and dug out corridors until they reached what seemed like an audience chamber. Desann ordered him to walk to the front. The chamber was deserted. Was this to be a private execution? He had to find a way to escape these binders.

Manolan and Jaden entered soon after.

"Jaden!" Kyle knew it was a long shot, but tried it anyway. "Are you going to let them kill me just like that? You know it's not the Jedi way."

"These are not Jedi, old Master," said Jaden. "I have no jurisdiction over them."

Kyle smirked and continued his walk to the front of the chamber slowly. "What's with the ceremonial walk of shame? You could've just killed me in my cell, if you really wanted to."

"That's far enough," said Manolan. He gently walked towards Kyle and spoke softly. "We are not just some mindless and brutal killers, Katarn. We are a spiritual Clan with a long history and firm traditions. We do have a ceremony of sorts to accompany deeds such as this one."

Suddenly Rel Mook came running inside. "Manolan, there is an urgent matter you should attend."

"Can it wait?" asked the High Chief, slightly annoyed.

"I'm afraid not. There is an Imperial cruiser orbiting the planet and one of their shuttles has landed on our front door!" He clearly panicked.

Manolan swore. "We'll be back, Katarn… You three, guard this man and make sure he goes nowhere. Desann, come with me!" He looked at Jaden and hesitated. "I cannot give you commands, but I'd prefer it if you would not remain here."

Jaden nodded. "I'll join you guys."

They hastened towards the large hall that Jaden first walked through when he had just arrived. It wasn't that far. Three imperial officers were waiting near one of the many doors that led to a landing spot. Desann instantly increased his pace, activated his sabre and jumped towards the officers. With an intimidating roll he landed right in front of them and he held his sabre high in a threatening way.

"Speak," he grunted. "Why are you here?"

The officer in the middle remained very calm, while the other two hesitated and jumped back a bit. His eyes were grey and his expression was unimpressed. He stared the Chistori right in his eyes. "We bring news from Admiral Fyyar." There was some whispering among the Clan members in attendance.

"Who are you?" demanded Desann.

"We are his following."

"Fyyar left his following with us."

The officer did not reply.

"How did you find us?"

He cleared his throat. "Fyyar's ship's flight history was not erased. You are lucky I checked it before anyone else did."

"Why should we trust you?" This time it was Manolan who asked the question. The others made way for him as he, too, had finally reached the officers.

"If we had come to destroy you," said the officer as he addressed all of them at once, "we would not have bothered landing here. We knew your location. We have a battle cruiser. We could have blasted this… cave… into smithereens, but we did not. We come before you in peace." He took his blaster. Desann immediately re-raised his sabre. The officer put the weapon down on the ground.

Manolan gestured Desann to lower his weapon too. "All right, officer, you have our attention. What is it that you want?"

"We want to join you in your battle against the Emperor."

The High Chief coughed for a moment. "What is your name, officer?"

"Jonvidis. These are Perlon and Thoronis."

Manolan smiled. "Why is it that three high ranking officers, by the look of your uniforms, would defect?"

"The Emperor and his crooked bunch of Dark Jedi don't treat the army with the respect it deserves. The death of Admiral Fyyar was the last drop for us. We came here to find the others who were with Fyyar so we could stand strong together."

Desann made a discerning noise. "What makes you think you can stand a chance? Unless there are more of you, one battle cruiser cannot make a difference against the army of Jerec. Why do you think we are fighting a guerrilla war? Their numbers are too vast. The Emperor's grip on the galaxy is too strong, still."

Jonvidis stared at the ground for a moment. "All we need to do is get rid of the Dark Jedi. When the army is leaderless, they can be reasoned with." He paused. "There is not much time. Jerec already suspects your base to be here. It will not be long before the army arrives… and then it will be too late. I suggest you evacuate aboard our cruiser."

The suggestion caused a tumultuous response from all Clan members present. The idea shocked them. Manolan gestured all to be silent. "Jonvidis, we have successfully hid in this hideout ever since our Clan was deemed illegal. The only way Jerec is going to find us is if you tell him where we are!" The Clan members cheered.

"Fool!" shouted Jonvidis. "I had no trouble finding you. Do you really think you can hide from Jerec forever? Jerec knows you're here, I tell you!"

Desann pointed his sabre at his chest. "Mind your tone, imperial."

"I tell you this," said Manolan, "you will be allowed to negotiate possible evacuation with your friends of Fyyar, but we will remain here."

Jonvidis swore silently, but eventually agreed.

* * *

Nebba walked over. They had been underway for quite some time now. Or so it seemed. Time passed slowly when there was nothing to do. She noticed that the female captive had stopped crying and had calmed down. Nebba was curious to their nature. She heard from Vidomina how fun she had been as an employer and how unfortunate their involvement actually was. She approached them joyfully, hoping to be met with a similar mood.

Padora looked up. "Boy, you people surely are persistent. What can I do for you, Twi'lek?"

"That was actually what I wanted to ask you," replied Nebba, ignoring the somewhat rude way of addressing her.

Cosmo looked at her with great fear. "Don't mind Cosmo," said Padora. "He isn't used to seeing different species." She looked up. "Sit down." Nebba obeyed. "Cosmo, she is all right. There is no need for fear." She looked at Nebba again. "Go on, go to her." Very hesitantly, the toddler walked towards Nebba.

"Gween…," muttered Cosmo, as he pointed at her skin.

"That's right," answered Nebba. "We Twi'leks have a lot of variation in skin colour. Red, orange, blue, purple, green, yellow, even peachy, like you and your mother." She smiled at the little child.

He stared at her with glassy eyes and somewhat sniggered.

"What a beautiful child," said Nebba with a faint smile. She felt extra bad for them. This was no place for children.

"Yes, he is," said Padora, also with a faint smile.

Nebba looked at the young business woman. "We are not just a bunch of criminals. I know that's what you're thinking. We actually have a very good reason for this."

Padora sighed. "Actually, I was afraid you had a good reason… that would make it harder for me to blame you for this kidnapping." She smirked faintly. "Oh well, so what's your story then?"

Nebba told her. She told her how her part of the story began. How she and Vidomina were both students at the Jedi Academy under Luke Skywalker. How Jerec and his Dark Jedi came and destroyed their home and some of their friends. She told her how so few of them were left now. Hiding from the Emperor. "And these others," she said, "they were once prominent figures of the New Republic. It feels like ages ago."

Padora could not fake her being affected by the hearing of this story. Her reaction was genuine. "I'm so sorry to hear that…"

Nebba shook her head. "It's okay. What's your story?"

"I essentially took over my father's business. He was a smuggler for Kyipo the Hutt on Nar Shaddaa. He was killed when a rival Hutt had sent bounty hunters after him for whatever reason. I was fifteen when I was forced to make a living for myself. I hated being a smuggler, so then I started building up a better existence on Coruscant. Instead of a smuggler, I became a trader. I was buying and selling weapons to many clients, including the Imperial Remnant in the time of the New Republic, which is why the Empire never bothered me to this very day. They appreciated my business and now I often sell their leftover weapons to the Hutts."

Nebba was clearly somewhat shocked. "That's a wholly different story," she smirked nervously.

Padora nodded. "Yeah…"

"What are you going to do when you get out of here?" She was unsure on which side Padora would be.

"I'll have to try to pick up the pieces of my life again. You?"

"The same…"

The two were silent for a while. Awkwardly so.

* * *

"Master?"

"Remain hidden," ordered Jerec. "Yun reported a freighter filled with both Reborn and Jedi survivors coming your way. Only when they are all on the planet must you attack and destroy."

"But Master, what if the _Vengeance_ leaves before they arrive?"

"Admiral Perlon and his men are of no concern to us. We have nothing to fear from them."

Maw frowned. "And if they take the Reborn with them?"

"They will not. The SoroSuub Corporation on Sullust has ordered all ships to remain on the planet. Any shuttle leaving will be destroyed instantly."

"Very well, Master. I will await Yun's freighter." Maw took a small bow and the hologram disappeared.

* * *

"We've reached Corellia!" shouted Wedge through the cockpit. "Home sweet home…"

"Finally," yawned Han. "I don't see any blockade, so I think we're good."

"Looks like it!" confirmed Wedge. "I'll see if I can land somewhere unnoticed. I'll try to find a Selonian settlement; they are bound to oppose the Empire."

"That sounds like a bad idea," protested Han. "The Selonians aren't particularly friendly in my experience. We better go to some friends on the surface."

Wedge hummed thoughtfully. "I have some family here on Corellia, but I'm not sure what their state is… if you know what I mean. It's been a while since we were stranded on Coruscant."

"It's worth a shot." The others agreed with him.

Wedge guided the freighter into the atmosphere of the planet. Corellia was a green planet. They soared over a vast ocean before they reached hilly landscapes and forests. Wedge was not intending to visit the bigger cities and instead landed the freighter on the edge of a forest, near a small village. He gestured the others to wait while he exited the freighter.

He set foot on the grassy soil and inhaled deeply. How he loved the smell of the Corellian outlands. He regretted that he never stayed long enough on the planet to enjoy the beautiful landscapes. He briefly jogged along the edge of the forest. The soil became muddy. Perhaps it had rained earlier this day. Or perhaps not. He walked on. In the distance emerged a rooftop he found very familiar. He increased his pace again and the cottage revealed itself from behind the trees. It was a remarkable small cottage with a hexagonal base. The roof was pointy and mossy. It appeared very primitive, but Wedge knew the majority of the living space was underground. He knocked on the door.

A man appeared about twenty years older than himself. They looked at each other for a while and then hugged.

"Uncle, I'm so glad to see you here…," said Wedge.

"Likewise, dear Wedge," the man replied. They let go. He looked worried. "We didn't even know if you were alive! Are you alone?"

Wedge hesitated. "No, I'm not. I have to talk to you, Bennie. Is Aunt Netta here?"

"She's out checking the droids as they harvest…"

Wedge chuckled. "Good to hear the Empire hasn't taken away your crops."

Bennie smirked. "Oh well, you know how that works. As long as you give them no reason to bother you, they won't. Business on Corellia has mostly just continued as always. With the exception of some unscheduled inspections by Stormtroopers, of course. We have nothing to hide, so they don't make a problem."

"That is about to change," said Wedge as he swallowed a lump. He suddenly realised how his coming here changed everything for them.

"Why? What have you done, Wedge?"

"We are fugitives now. My presence here has already endangered your business. I shouldn't have come." He got up and wanted to leave.

A woman entered and smiled. "Wedge! What a pleasant surprise! Where have you been?"

"Aunt Netta, hi," said Wedge as he hugged her and gave three kisses on her cheeks.

"Wedge, you are our blood," spoke Bennie. "If there is anything we can do to help you, we will do it. Let the troopers come. What would they do?"

"I can't…," said Wedge. "I can't do this to a family. You've got Rodrin…"

"Rodrin is not a small boy anymore, Wedge. Your cousin can take care of himself now."

Netta looked from one to the other. "What is going on? Sit down, Wedge, and tell us your story."

Wedge told them how they had been stranded on Coruscant for many rotations since their defeat at the Battle of Coruscant. He told them how they had devised and executed the plan to leave. "We came to Corellia to switch ships or to fix our hyperdrive. I wanted to ask you if I could borrow your ship. We are about to reform the rebellion… yet we are few."

"It is dangerous to help you, Wedge, but I daresay we'd rather die than not help you." Netta rammed her fist on the table. "Just because the Empire hasn't bothered us so far, doesn't mean they will never. I say we go with them, Bennie!"

"Netta, I admire your spirit," said Bennie. "But I can't go with them. I'm too old to fight wars. Rodrin has been waiting to finally join the rebellion. He keeps asking me about the days of yore, when I was still part of the old rebel alliance."

"So we can have your ship then?" Wedge asked.

Uncle Bennie nodded. "Yes, cousin, you can have our ship."

* * *

"Wedge has given the all clear," said Lando as he shut down the freighter's com-unit. "We should get going."

"Hold on," said Anda. "Our sensors indicate a battle cruiser entering this system."

Lando hurried towards her and looked at the radar. He swore.

"Might I suggest we split up?" suggested Na-quam.

"We shouldn't do that," Anda protested, who happened to overhear her suggestion. "We are vulnerable enough as it is. If that other ship has a functional hyperdrive, as Wedge says, we should all leave together."

"If we leave the Corellian atmosphere, that battle cruiser will see us and blow us up before we can make the jump!" Na-quam protested. "He will know exactly that it is us. If he is a Jedi too, he will sense our presences."

"That's not true." Vidomina spoke up. She approached them. "He will know me, but he doesn't know any of you. He will be able to sense my presence… he knows my scent."

"What are you suggesting?" Anda asked with great fear.

Vidomina considered it as she thought out loud. "If I took off with the Hames freighter, that would give you a chance to escape to Sullust."

"I will not allow it." Na-quam seemed resolute. "You have done more than enough already, Vidomina. I cannot allow you to risk your life unnecessarily."

"Then come with me, Master."

"No!" said Lando. "We need Na-quam on Sullust. As the representative of the Jedi, you can relate to these Reborn in a way none of us can." Na-quam looked at him. If his senses did not deceive him, it almost seemed like Lando was trying to say that he didn't trust the Reborn.

"It's the only way, Master," urged Vidomina. "You know it to be true. I'll go alone."

Na-quam wanted to speak and find a reason to object, but he couldn't.

Lando looked at the young padawan and nodded. "I cannot find a reason to stop you, but we can only do this if you are behind this idea one hundred percent."

Vidomina nodded. "I am."

Anda hugged her. "I do not know where you get the courage, young Jedi."

"Padawan…," Vidomina corrected her.

She let go. "I see no difference from where I stand."

"It is set then," concluded Lando. "The rest of us will have to get to the farm. Let's try to carry as much as we can." They all got to work.

* * *

"Where is everyone going?" asked Yshua.

"We've landed in the middle of nowhere… I do hope they don't expect us to stay here." Padora feared for what would happen. She took hold of Nebba. "What's happening?"

"We're changing ship." She looked at Padora. "You're welcome to join us, obviously."

Padora looked away and saw men carrying the containers with the weapons. "So we can fly away with the freighter?"

"Hmm, no. We're splitting up to distract Yun. Vidomina will fly the freighter as a decoy."

"What?! Why?" Padora raised her voice in outrage.

Nebba shrugged apologetically. "She's the one person Yun will be able to sense."

"He can also sense me… he is my bo… ex-boyfriend." She went away. She had to find Vidomina. She had to help.

She found Vidomina in the cockpit, meditating. "Vidomina!" she shouted.

The padawan opened her eyes and looked up, expectantly.

"You cannot go alone! I will go with you."

Vidomina shook her head. "There's no need, you're free now."

"If Yun finds you alone in this ship, he will kill you! I have the perfect plan." The padawan remained silent, so Padora continued. "Leave the weapons in this ship. We will fly to Nal Hutta. I owe these weapons to the Hutts. We will give them for free in exchange for protection against Yun. They must agree."

"You think the Hutts would be able to hide us from the army?" Vidomina frowned.

Padora gave a weird smile. "It's a long shot… but at least there's a chance. What was your original plan?"

Vidomina stared at the ground. "I didn't have a plan."

Padora noticed her fear. That's when she remembered that Vidomina was still very young. "Let's follow mine."

"Why do you suddenly want to help?" asked Vidomina. Her tone had changed. "You've spent all this time moping in a corner. Why the change of mood?"

"Ah, so you don't trust me?" She seemed offended.

"To be quite honest, I don't know why I should."

Padora became annoyed. "You're one to talk. I didn't kidnap you, you know."

"Yes, but it isn't my boyfriend who is chasing us."

"All right!" Padora shouted. "Enough of this. Bring Cosmo and Yshua to the other ship. If you don't report in from Nal Hutta, order them to kill both. I'm coming with you. Leave the weapons in this ship and we have a plan."

Vidomina hesitated, but then agreed. They found Lando, explained the idea, and he allowed the weapons to remain on the freighter.

As soon as they had left, Padora fired up the repulsor engines and steered the ship into open space.

* * *

Wedge saw the freighter leave. If only this would work. He saw the first of the others arrive. He checked the scanner. It was working! The Imperial cruiser engaged in pursuit of the freighter again.

"Who is on that freighter?" he shouted at Han, who was among the first to arrive at the farm.

"That young Jedi girl again," replied Solo. "She is either very brave and has a brilliant plan… or she has a death wish."

"No, this is the worst idea!" cried Wedge. "Why did you let her go? Yun will destroy her… or worse, turn her!"

"She made her choice." Han could now stop shouting as he had reached Wedge. "Na-quam tried to talk sense into her, but we all had to face the truth… Yun is most likely to follow the ship if she is on it."

"She's not alone, is she?" said Wedge hopefully. "You cannot have let her go alone, right?"

Han looked gravely. "She insisted… but Padora is with her."

Wedge swore. "We barely know if we can trust her."

Lando had reached the two. He had overheard part of their conversation. "If Vidomina doesn't report in from Nal Hutta in a couple of days, we are to get rid of the child and the old man."

The three exchanged worrying looks.

* * *

Yun saw the freighter leave the Corellian atmosphere. "Hyperdrive?"

"Inactive, sir. If they tried to repair it on the planet, they were unsuccessful."

What could this mean? They very well knew the dangers of re-emerging. The battle cruiser was no longer hidden from them. Were they suicidal? Were they even on board? He sensed Vidomina's presence. He sensed Padora. Do they still think he wouldn't destroy the ship just because she's on it? Or was she otherwise hindered to leave the vessel? Did she defect, perhaps? Yun briefly considered the possibility that she might even have seized control of the vessel and had reclaimed her ship, but he smirked at the thought of that. Padora was a feisty woman, but she wasn't a fighter, he reckoned.

"Should we destroy them, sir?" The officer hesitated.

"No," replied Yun. "I want to see where they go." He addressed the communications station. "Contact the governor of Corellia. Tell him to report any suspicious ships leaving the system to Jerec."

"Yes, sir."

The Admiral questioned the decision. "Sir? We're not going to Sullust?"

"They don't need me at Sullust. The war fleet is on its way there. If this freighter should guide us there, fine, but I want to catch her personally." This was a personal matter. He felt the fire within him burn at the thought of Vidomina, who resisted and misled him.

* * *

"All right, we're coming with you, Colonel. Let us gather our belongings."

"Quickly! We have no time to waste." Colonel Jonvidis was determined. The Reborn Clan was foolish not to join him. He wondered whether he would have a shot without them. He realised he had taken all the men on the _Vengeance_ into unknown territory and they would all be at great risk. He had to plan his next steps carefully. Where to go? Whom to trust? He hadn't counted on the refusal of the Reborn.

Desann was watching him from a distance. Something was off about this Imperial. How had he been able to find them? Fyyar had been sloppy not to erase his flight history. But why this Jonvidis? As he pondered about what was going on, Jaden joined him.

Jaden seemed occupied with a different matter entirely. "Why didn't you tell me you had Imperial fugitives here?"

Desann looked at him. His friend was slightly offended, yet amazed at the same time. "Well, Jaden, we didn't really know whether to trust you… and it's not a very important issue anyway." He waved it away as if to end the discussion.

"What if a full-scale attack really is imminent?" Jaden asked with a tone of despair.

"It is." Desann looked gravely.

"Then why won't Manolan accept their offer?"

"The Reborn are very proud people, Jaden. This is our holy ground and we must defend it with all our might."

"You speak as if you are not one of them."

Desann avoided his look. "I didn't agree with Manolan's decision, if that's what you mean. We have already detected the Imperial fleet in the Haruun Kal system, waiting to strike."

Jaden's eyes widened. "So these officers are not defected?"

"They are," Desann explained patiently. "They are also bait. Their coming here has allowed Jerec to squash two flies in one stroke."

Jaden panicked. "What are we waiting for? We must leave now!"

"I will not abandon my brethren."

"I am not of this Clan. Let me go!"

Desann left his head hanging. "I had hoped you would want to join us, my friend."

"I… I'm sorry, but I can't," said Jaden. "I have to find Na-quam and the other survivors."

"Hmm, assuming they are still alive, that is." When Jaden seemed not to understand, Desann continued. "Do you really think Jerec would not have searched for them high and low?"

Jaden was certain they hadn't been found yet. "I have been in their midst for nearly two years. I tell you they have no clue where to look."

"Perhaps not."

"Allow me to leave," urged Jaden, "with my lightsabre."

Desann turned away. "I will speak about it to Manolan. If you are allowed to leave, leave during the fight. It will arouse less suspicion."


	13. Chapter XII

"Sir, we've received a message from the SoroSuub Corporation."

"What does it say?"

"Apparently, an unknown Corellian ship has entered the planet's atmosphere."

"Just as Jerec predicted! Let them give us coordinates for bombing the place down."

Maw was excited. Finally, the waiting would come to an end.

"Coordinates received, sir."

"Let's make the jump into the Sullust system!"

* * *

Wedge landed in the cave as assigned by Nil'Ss. The general mood was tense. They had all seen the Imperial battle cruiser named _Vengeance_ through the window. What did it mean? Were they now detected? Under attack? Things on the planet were no different. The moment they stepped outside the ship, members of the Clan came to greet them. They had received the message from Nil'Ss and were prepared for their arrival.

"Battle is imminent," said Rel Mook as he embraced his Clanmates with his one remaining arm. "We were starting to get worried."

"What is that Imperial cruiser doing out there?" asked Han rudely.

Rel Mook looked sheepishly at the man. "I don't believe we've met."

Han scoffed. "There's no time for formalities, we were told we'd be safe here, so what's the deal?"

Nil'Ss gestured Rel Mook not to speak. Instead he turned around to face Han. "Patience, my friend. We will find out soon enough." He turned to Rel again. "I must speak to Manolan."

The Kel Dor scrutinisingly eyed Han before he nodded and gestured them to follow him.

"Na-quam, Lando, follow me," said Han. "The rest must stay with the ship. Chances are we need a quick evac." To his surprise, Robuk also followed them, but Na-quam gestured to let him.

Desann was speaking with Manolan.

"Yes," said Manolan. "I think he earned our trust. Here is his lightsabre." He handed Desann the weapon.

"I'm going to miss him…," Desann said with a sadness in his voice.

"He was never one of us, my friend," said Manolan as he put his hand on Desann's shoulder. "He is a brave man, but he was always an outsider every moment he was here. He belongs out there."

"We could use his help," tried Desann.

"No, my friend," said Manolan. "He can use our help." And when Desann did not seem to understand, he added, "I have seen that this man is the key to the future. Whatever happens next, I know that Jaden must survive."

Desann eyed the High Chief with great curiosity. What was it that Manolan had seen during his meditations? He wanted to ask, but knew that the visions were never specific. "Are we meant to sacrifice ourselves?" He hadn't meant to sound so desperate, but for the first time in a long time, he actually feared the future.

Manolan turned away in a dramatic manner. "We must secure his escape."

"High Chief!" a female voice shouted.

Manolan and Desann turned to the source. Manolan smiled at Chadrina and saw that Nil'Ss and Rel followed soon after. "Good to see you!"

"What happened to Yent?" asked Desann.

Chadrina closed her eyes for a moment. "Yent was shot down on Coruscant."

"Desann!" shouted Na-quam. He hurried towards his former padawan and embraced him. "So good to see you…"

"Likewise, Master… likewise…" Desann felt tears in his eyes. It became a bit too much for him. Jaden leaving, seeing his old Master again, but most of all… he sensed his imminent death. He had spoken about it to Manolan. The High Chief was not at all worried. "If that is the way of the Force," he had said, "then there is nothing you can do about it. Stop fighting it. If you die, you will be reborn in the Living Force. There is no greater honour." Desann had heard those words before at his initiation ceremony. Whatever they had meant at the time, he wasn't sure if he believed them now.

Jonvidis approached the scene. "A family reunion?" he said mockingly.

Desann shot him an angry look and growled aggressively.

The officer laughed. "Down, boy, I'm just trying to lighten the mood here."

"Imperials, here?!" said Lando as he drew his blaster. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Easy!" shouted Manolan as he stepped between the three. "No more fighting amongst ourselves! These officers have defected and will not kill you." He turned towards Jonvidis. "Officer, these are Jedi and former politicians of the New Republic. I believe they may be of use to you."

Jonvidis smiled at Lando. "Let us not get off on the wrong foot, rebel. There is much to decide in very little time. We have stolen the battle cruiser _Vengeance_ from underneath the Emperor's nose. It will not be long before the army reaches Sullust. I will invite you aboard the cruiser as we make our way to form a remarkable force."

"Why should I trust you, Imperial dog!" shouted Lando.

Jonvidis sighed and rolled his eyes. He threw his arms into the air.

Na-quam approached Lando and whispered into his ear. "Careful, he might be exactly what we need right now. Imagine if we had a battle cruiser. The rebellion would be so much stronger."

Jonvidis turned around. "I hear you, Master Jedi. That is exactly what I mean. We should work together to make the Emperor fall."

"What is your plan?"

"Shall we discuss that when we're out of here? I do not intend to remain here and discuss everything in detail while the army is approaching." The Colonel felt something buzz in his pocket. He took out the portable com-device. A hologram appeared. "Yes, Corporal?"

"Sir, the army has dropped out of hyperspace! What should we do?"

Jonvidis' eyes grew larger instantly. "Hang on, we are coming up instantly!"

"But sir, they-" Suddenly the connection was broken. Jonvidis looked alarmed.

"High Chief, what has happened up there? Do your sensors still see the _Vengeance_?"

Manolan looked up from a conversation with Desann. The latter walked away. Manolan checked a computer system near the wall. "No, it is destroyed. Debris is falling all over the planet."

Jonvidis fell to his knees. There was his plan… completely in ruins. The lives of all the men they had gathered, destroyed just like that. How would they be leaving the planet now? Would this be the end? He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Lando.

"No worries, officer," he said. "We'll take you and the men you have left with us. We have a ship here."

* * *

Desann had found Jaden, patrolling in front of the court room.

"Manolan gives you permission to leave." He didn't look at him as he returned his lightsabre.

"Thanks." Jaden tried to make eye contact.

"Just leave, my friend. Our old Master has arrived in the main hall. You'll reach them in time if you go now."

Jaden nodded. "Thanks for everything, friend." He started running.

Desann headed for the courtroom. Kyle Katarn was still there, waiting impatiently. His three guards were a bit restless.

"Desann," said a Sullustan man named Amiko. "What is going on out there?"

Desann did not reply instantly, but saw that Kyle Katarn was grinning widely. Just as he wanted to say something the whole cave shook. Desann lost his balance and hit the ground. The others had fallen too, but Kyle was still standing.

Kyle saw his chance. He noticed that Amiko had dropped his sabre in the fall. He concentrated on the Force and saw it rolling towards his hands. As soon as it reached him he activated it and freed his arms from the binders. The smell of ozone filled the chamber.

"Well, it was starting to burn," he said. He pointed the sabre at Amiko, who was still on the ground.

Desann and the others had risen and drew their sabres as well. "The battle may have started," grunted Desann, "but you will not see the end of it."

"We'll see how that works out, shall we?" asked Kyle with a smile.

* * *

Na-quam would have sworn he saw Jaden Korr near the back of the main hall just before the whole cave shook. Part of the ceiling had come down, separating them from where he thought he had seen Jaden.

"Come on, Na-quam," shouted Han as he pulled the old Jedi to his feet. "We must leave, now!" Na-quam agreed and followed them. Jonvidis gathered his men and told them to follow them too.

Manolan was caught under the debris. His legs were trapped underneath the rocks, but it didn't demotivate him. He quickly gave orders to those near him.

* * *

Chadrina obeyed her orders. Together with a few others, she headed towards one of the hangar bays and entered a fighter. Hers was a stolen X-wing model. She had once found it abandoned near a battleground. It was in a perfect state. Now it was her duty to fly it to defend their ground. She took off and left the caves. It was dark outside. She saw ten other fighters soar into the sky, heading for space.

" _All right, Reborn, in the name of the Living Force!_ " sounded a voice through the com-channel. Loud cheers followed.

Immediately they were taking fire.

" _I'm hit!_ " said a woman's voice Chadrina recognised as Melina's. One of the fighters immediately crashed on the surface.

" _Where is that fire coming from?_ " asked someone else.

" _It seems to be coming from the planet! The SoroSuub is targeting us!_ " Indeed, power turrets on the planets were firing at all outgoing fighters.

"We need to go to open space as soon as possible!" shouted Chadrina.

" _Trust your feelings to evade their fire._ "

Though her left window, Chadrina saw another fighter rise up from the surface. She recognised Desann's ship, the _Chief_. Why would Desann be ordered to fly? He would be necessary among the ground troops so they could get the shield up.

"Hi Desann, good of you to join us!" she said hesitantly.

It took a while before a relevant answer came. " _I'm not Desann._ "

"Who are you? Why are you flying Desann's ship?"

" _I'm Jaden, you've probably seen me around. It was the only ship I could find. Please tell Desann I'm sorry._ "

"I haven't-", but she was interrupted by her Clanmates.

" _We understand, Jaden. May the Force be with you!_ "

" _And with all of you. Hopefully we'll meet a- Whoa!_ " A huge explosion sounded on the com-channel. "I'm hit!"

One of the Clanmates replied. " _Hang in there, Jaden, I'll come for you._ "

" _No!_ " said Jaden. " _Protect your base, I'll be fine._ "

" _Ok then…_ "

As the fighters reached space they finally saw what they were up against. Five battle cruisers all targeted the base. Hundreds of TIE fighters closed in on them. Chadrina felt her heart sink. They had merely eleven fighters, one of which had already crashed. The battle was lost before it even began.

"All right, everyone… let's take out as many as we can. We will be reborn in the Living Force. See you on the other side!" They all cheered, but they all felt that same doubt.

* * *

"Forcefield established!" said Kathra as she arrived in the main hall. Rel and Nil'Ss used the Force to lift the debris off of Manolan.

"Good," said the High Chief as he attempted to stand. He instantly fell down with a cry of pain. "I'm useless," he said. "Form a perimeter. Close all entrances to the cave except for one. They will now want to fight on the surface. Prepare! Leave me here, I'll be fine."

The various Clanmates surrounding the scene all instantly started moving around, taking action.

* * *

Amiko was killed instantly. Desann and the other two had jumped at Kyle right after. One of them, a Duros man by the name of Onslau, slashed with full force, but Kyle jumped backwards, resulting in the man slicing some furniture in two.

Desann held back for a moment while the other two pursued their captive. He looked at the court room. It was a very large room, full of benches and chandeliers. Desann preferred to fight in an empty arena. He assembled Force energy and blasted it at the furniture in the direction of Kyle. The benches bombarded Kyle, who was pushed into the wall by the blast, but also the two Clanmates did not remain standing. The second one, another Sullustan, named Poin, shot Desann an irritated look. Desann ignored it. Kyle had to be stopped by any means necessary.

But Kyle wasn't stopped just yet. He needed a few seconds to recover, but was not blind to the fast approaching Desann, whose attack he blocked instantly. Also Onslau and Poin jumped back to their feet, and rejoined the fight. Kyle knew he could not hold for long against three opponents. He had to separate them somehow. He jumped over the three of them and sprinted towards the other side of the room, near the door.

Desann feared he tried to escape, but instead Kyle turned around and threw his sabre at the ceiling. Debris fell down instantly, covering the poor Onslau who had begun running after Kyle.

"NO!" shouted Desann.

Poin coughed and waved away the sand freed by the falling of the rocks. He gestured Desann to go left around the debris, while he himself would go right. Desann agreed. He ran around the debris on the left side and found Kyle, waiting and grinning.

"Now you're already down to two," he said triumphantly.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," breathed Desann. "We still outnumber you!"

Kyle laughed. "It's not about numbers, you reptile. It's about skill! It's time you let me see yours."

Desann wondered where Poin was, but he could not stall the fighting any longer. His anger made him jump at Katarn, who dodged without too much effort and Force pushed him to the wall. Desann fell, but quickly got up.

"Impressive…," taunted Kyle. "On to lesson two, shall we?"

"Your arrogance is misplaced, Katarn!"

"Much like your swing of the sabre just now," Kyle laughed.

Desann made another attempt and the two engaged in battle.

* * *

"Come on!" shouted Han as he waited for the last of the defected Imperials to board their ship. They had to leave before the ground troops would arrive. As soon as the last one had entered he too jumped aboard.

"Thank you," said Jonvidis to Lando. "I don't know what to say."

"Thank me when we get out of here alive," replied Lando.

Han looked around. Most of the imperials just sat down on the floor in groups and tried to stay out of their way. Some offered to help, but there was just nothing left to do except for Wedge to once again prove how he got his reputation as a pilot.

Na-quam was sitting on the floor, babbling to himself, holding his head in his hands. Han knelt down and put his hand on the Jedi's shoulder. Nebba also approached.

"I swear I saw him," he told them. "I didn't even know he was still alive. How can this be?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Han.

"In the cave, just before the explosion," the old Jedi babbled. "There he was."

"Who?" Han repeated.

"Jaden Korr… there is no way he could have survived…"

Nebba seemed to know this Jaden Korr, Han figured, for she looked alarmed. "Master," she said, "I know a way to find out." She got up and tapped one of the officers on the shoulder. The man had tears in his eyes. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to disturb…"

"It's ok." The officer forced a smile. "I had spent many years on that ship… first as a Corporal, then a Captain, finally an Admiral… So many memories. You'd think the _Vengeance_ was just another battle cruiser… but no. It had a distinct smell, you know? It was _my_ battle cruiser."

Nebba swallowed. She felt conflicted about this. One the one hand she felt sorry for the guy, on the other hand she knew that the _Vengeance_ , and thus this ex-Admiral, was responsible for many Republican casualties. In the end, she felt it wasn't hers to decide how to respond, so she ignored it. "It's ok. Could you answer a question for us?"

The man nodded.

"Does the name Jaden Korr mean anything to you?"

The man's eyes widened. "You better sit down. There's quite a story to this one."

* * *

Meanwhile, Wedge lifted the ship off the ground.

"You should not have any trouble leaving the scene," said Jonvidis.

Lando replied. "Judging from what we've seen at the battle of Coruscant, we'd be lucky if we can even fly our own ship."

"You don't have to worry about that," said the former Colonel. "That was Jerec demonstrating his power. Nowadays, he is too proud to even leave his palace. I assume he has sent either Maw or Boc, with possibly Boc's apprentice Rosh. You might even know that Rosh kid. He was once a learner at the Academy."

"Perhaps one of the Jedi might," Lando said shortly.

Wedge flew the ship out of the cave. Immediately, the cave collapsed behind them.

"Looks like the Reborn are digging themselves in," said Lando.

"Incoming fire, hang on!" shouted Wedge as he did his best to avoid blaster fire from the SoroSuub.

* * *

Maw refused to stay on board of the battle cruiser as the Admiral advised. His place was on the field, slaughtering Reborn. The shuttles almost reached the atmosphere.

"SoroSuub, take down your turrets. We're entering the atmosphere," an officer ordered through the radio.

As the shuttles moved down towards the cave entrances, Maw spotted a Corellian ship soaring past them and leaving the planet.

"Tell the cruisers to blast that ship to oblivion!" he growled. He sensed a disturbing presence aboard that vessel, but knew that his primary concern was on the surface.

* * *

"All entrances, but the North-wing have been closed off," Nil'Ss reported to the High Chief.

"The demi-initiates have been moved to the Southern-most wing," said Kathra.

"All warrior initiates have arrived here," said Rel Mook. "Except for Desann, Amiko, Poin, and Onslau. I sent Lienna to the court room to check upon them."

Manolan sat against the wall, breathing heavily, sweating horribly. "Right," he said. "And the spiritual initiates?"

"They've positioned to the second line of defence, as you ordered," replied Rel.

"Good." He tried to sit up a bit more straight. The others appeared to be worried. "Worry not, my friends," said the High Chief. "If I don't make it, I will be reborn in the Living Force. That is where we will meet again. Concentrate upon the here and now. They will be here shortly. Feel their presence." He sighed. "Anticipate their movements. You are superior! You know the gift and privilege of the Living Force! It's time to squash these ignorant fools like natural selection has always intended us to!"

His words were met with thunderous roars by the few dozens of warriors and the couple of dozens of spiritual initiates further back in the cave.

At that very moment, the North entrance was bombarded with fire and the pieces of the door flew through the cave. Stormtroopers marched in, blasting as they went.

"Form a line!" shouted Rel. The warriors formed a line, deflecting blasts with their sabres as they went. They had formed little barricades all over the main hall, which allowed them additional cover. The spirituals blew Force energy at the troopers from a distance. Many troopers were blasted into the air.

The troopers also started building barricades near their point of entry.

A roar sounded through the main hall as Maw made his way to the front. He speeded right into one of the barricades made by the Reborn. It flew backwards a couple of feet, taking a few Reborn with it. Maw slashed and smashed around him like a maniac, supported by the troopers, who took advantage of this distraction to position themselves better and to run in guns blazing.

* * *

Desann pushed Kyle back. Finally he had the upper hand. He was on the verge of finishing him, when Kyle ducked and tackled Desann with his feet.

They were briefly distracted by a distant roar. Kyle recognised Maw's voice and grinned. Desann got back on his feet and jumped backwards to avoid Kyle's new attack. Where was Poin? He should have been here by now.

"Don't worry about your friend," said Kyle as if he knew what Desann was thinking. "I'm sure he won't be worrying about you either after I impaled his head on some debris from the ceiling."

Renewed anger made Desann attack again. Kyle had anticipated it, but Desann's anger did not unbalance him at all. It made him focused. Kyle blocked a couple of attempts, but then fell backwards as he tripped over a rock. Desann pointed his sabre at Kyle's throat.

"Any last wishes?" he asked as he saw Kyle's genuinely fearful look.

At that moment, someone came in. "Where are you guys? The battle has started!"

Desann turned around to see who it was. Kyle saw his chance and rolled away from Desann only to tackle him again with his feet.

Lienna saw the danger and joined the duel. For a moment Kyle was outnumbered again, but it didn't demotivate him. He defended against both opponents.

* * *

The ship had reached open space. Five battle cruisers awaited them.

"Quickly! Evasive manoeuvres!" shouted Lando.

"Yeah, yeah," replied Wedge, annoyed by his friend stating the obvious. Blasts were coming from the nearest cruiser, but their ship was fast. "I'll try to make the jump to lightspeed!"

TIE fighters were coming in.

* * *

The warriors around him quickly jumped on Maw, who spun around like a madman in mid-air. The spirituals threw two Force blasts at the Boltrunian, who was hit and fell to the floor. The three Reborn close to him saw their chance and jumped at him, ready to strike. Maw also assembled Force energy, rammed his fists on the floor and saw the Reborn fly. He grinned demonically.

Nil'Ss felt his head as the blast made him crash into the wall. He looked around him. The troopers weren't doing too much damage yet as they were too busy devising a way to shield from the incoming blasts of Force energy. Maw, the halfman, was the big danger. Two brothers and one sister had already fallen. He gestured to one of the others who had flown away to try again.

Maw was prepared and was awaiting their next attempt while warding off some incoming Force blasts. As they jumped upon him, he lowered himself, glided underneath them and slashed upward. Nil'Ss was severed in half when he reached the floor.

More chaos among the Reborn arose when the entrance was widened by a big explosion. AT-STs marched in, blasting all around them as they entered.

"Retreat!" shouted Kathra, who had now assumed command. She gestured Rel to take Manolan with them.

"No!" said Manolan as Rel approached him. "Leave me here. It is over for me. You have a better chance without me."

* * *

Katarn kicked Desann away and battled Lienna alone for a while. She was feisty and a difficult opponent. They duelled for some time, when Kyle felt he needed to try something different. He jumped backwards, ensuring himself of some distance, and concentrated hard on the Force. Lightning shot from his hands. Lienna had not expected it and was hit in the chest. With a cry, she fell down to her knees instantly and felt her chest. Kyle hit her another time and now she fell to the ground. Kyle kicked her sabre out of her hand and laughed.

Desann had caught up with them again and knew he had to defend Lienna, who was still on the ground. Kyle had anticipated his jump and dodged it without too much trouble. Desann, who had expected Kyle to aim a slash towards Lienna, flew right over her, but rolled quickly to his feet. Kyle grabbed Lienna's hair and pointed his sabre at her throat.

"No!" shouted Desann as he stormed at him once more.

Kyle grinned. He cut off Lienna's head and threw it at Desann, who caught it without trying, but dropped it as he realised what it was. Kyle held out his left hand and caught Lienna's sabre. "And now, my friend, you are outmatched."

Desann breathed heavily. Four more deaths at the hand of the Dark Jedi. Precious lives they were. He closed his eyes for a moment. The event he had helped prevent was about to occur after all, just not with the Jedi. He sensed how many of his Clanmates were dying. He felt sadness overwhelming him. He opened his eyes. Kyle was still grinning. He was the messenger of evil. It was _his_ fault that all of this happened. Desann spat at him. He readied his sabre and lunged forward.

Kyle had a new toy to play with. He had next to no experience with Jar'Kai, the dual lightsabre technique, but he found it easier to make the fight difficult for Desann by swinging the sabres around threateningly.

Desann was challenged by this new development. He did his best to block Kyle's every strike, but the pain inside had tired him. Kyle's left sabre sunk into Desann's leg. He screamed and then fell.

Kyle smiled contently. "Not so tough now, are you?"

The Chistori breathed heavily, but rolled to his back and stared Kyle right in the eye. "You, monster! This is the second time you're massacring my people! Mark my words, the end is near for your Emperor! Our sacrifice may seem petty to you, but we've secured the way to a brighter future. We've set in motion the wheels of your doom…"

The Dark Jedi cleared his throat. "Round it off, would you? I have many more of your brothers to kill."

Desann forced a sarcastic chuckle. "Don't you wish to know why Jaden left you?"

Kyle had to admit that he was intrigued by the matter. "What about it?" He realised he suddenly sounded a bit obtuse.

"Jaden never was one of you, Katarn, no matter how he tried."

"How would you know?"

Desann let out exaggerated laughter. "I know Jaden, much better than you will ever have been able to. You think your Emperor is so powerful now he has swallowed up the Valley nexus, but you fail to overlook one crucial thing. Jaden is the living proof of that."

"Speak up, what is it?" Kyle demanded.

"Don't you see, Katarn? The Force betrays you!" shouted Desann.

Kyle stepped backwards for a while. He knew deep inside that Desann was only spewing out these words to confuse him or destabilise him, but the words had a certain ring to them. Spoken with a sense of earnest. As if they had meaning.

"The Force betrays you," echoed Desann.

The more Kyle thought about it, the more his words seemed to echo through his head. Kyle screamed loudly and finished Desann off. The echoes stopped. Kyle fell down on his knees. He considered the things Desann had said. What if they were true? He had to find Jaden, it was the only way. Jerec should not know that the Force betrays him, Kyle reckoned. Confused, not even certain if the Force would indeed betray them, or what it even meant, he stumbled away.

* * *

The remaining Reborn cheered as the first AT-ST had collapsed under the pressure of the Force. A few warriors tried to get close to them to cut off their legs, but they were still being shot at by the troopers, which made things difficult.

As the warriors were still pulling back a few lines, Maw speeded at them.

"Come back, you cowards!" He paused when he saw Manolan sitting against the wall, still wounded. He slowly drifted towards him, held his sabre at the ready, planning to make it a quick one, when someone jumped in front of him.

"You will not, coward," said Kathra.

Maw grinned. Finally a duel! "Persuade me."

She jumped around him, delivering a few stabs in his direction every time she hit the ground. Maw had no trouble defending himself. He was rather bored with her after a very short while. He spun around with all his might and heard a scream. When he stopped spinning he saw that she was cut in three parts. Horrified, Manolan had watched the whole scene. He closed his eyes as Maw now came for him and stuck a sabre through his heart.

* * *

Robuk fell to his knees as they had regrouped with the spiritual initiates. This was not at all what he had imagined. He would join them for their philosophy, not to engage in massacre on the receiving end! He felt his heart, he was panicking.

Rel Mook knelt down by his side. "Are you all right, young one?"

Robuk nodded, but was visibly not so.

"I'm afraid the fight is not over yet. They'll reach us soon. Are you with us?"

The Rodian sighed. "I'm not even a Reborn yet, what's the point?"

"Young Rodian," spoke Rel, "you stayed to defend our sacred grounds even though you don't even know us. It is therefore unavoidable for you to become one of us. Fight with us to the bitter end, and you shall be reborn in the Living Force with the rest of us."

Robuk forced a smile. He knew that the Kel Dor was right. Perhaps not in the specifics of the afterlife, but there was no other destiny now than to fight the battle. He got up with a roar, raised his sabre hand and screamed loudly. The remaining warriors joined his gesture and screamed too.

"So barbaric," said a voice. They all looked to the direction of where the AT-STs would emerge from, but there was no one there. "Over here, you fools." They looked back at the direction they thought would lead only to the civilians and families. Kyle Katarn emerged from the dark, holding one sabre in his hand and Desann's head in the other.

Rel looked at the head of his brother-in-arms and then at Kyle. He didn't speak, but he knew his eyes told of his loathing. Suddenly he screamed of rage and ran at Katarn. He was joined by Robuk. The others wanted to join as well, but at that point the AT-STs emerged from around the corner and they were needed elsewhere.

Kyle dropped Desann's head on his foot and kicked it at Rel Mook. He used his free hand to shoot lightning at the two coming at him. Rel blocked the lightning with his sabre, but Robuk was hit and fell down with a scream.

* * *

Maw had heard the battle screams of the Reborn and decided to end their pleasure. He speeded towards the back of the main hall and found the AT-STs wreaking havoc and occupying most of the Reborn. The troops were right behind them, shooting at anything that moved. The Reborn were falling one by one. The Boltrunian slowly drifted towards the field, looking for an unsuspecting prey.

He saw Kyle Katarn all the way at the back. Maw grinned. He speeded at the opponent he was fighting. With a huge force he rammed into Rel Mook, who flew into the wall. As if that wasn't enough, Maw took his sabre and slashed it through his skull.

"No!" shouted Robuk.

Maw approached him slowly. "Well, well, what have we here?" He drifted towards the Rodian, who was still on the ground. "You are not wearing a Reborn robe, slimeface. I know what this means." He drew even closer. "The Jedi survivors are here too!"

"Were here," said Robuk as he activated his sabre and lunged at Maw from the ground.

Maw had no difficulty dodging it and as a reflex killed the Rodian. He grunted and spat at his victim.

"My, my," said Kyle as he realised what had happened. "Good to see you here, Maw."

Maw turned around. "Katarn, what took you so long?"

"A pair of binders and a prison, I'm afraid."

"Jerec will want to know."

Kyle chuckled. "Then let's make it out of here together, shall we?"

Maw simply growled.

Kyle laughed. How he loved Maw in battles. He was an untameable lump of pure rage. Too blunt for a duel, but truly in his element during messy and chaotic battles like these.

They were now behind the defensive line of the Reborn. The attention of the Reborn spiritual initiates was aimed at the AT-STs. Nobody was watching Maw and Kyle.

"Watch me," said Maw. He gestured Kyle to keep a distance and started spinning around. When he was at full speed, he rammed into the Reborn barricades from behind. Several initiates were cut in half, others were rammed aside, again others were now exposed and immediately became a target for the Stormtroopers.

Kyle smirked. He loved Maw's efficiency. In essence, his flying ability was something he had absolutely mastered when it came to battle, and thus he used it whenever he could. Kyle quickly followed him and started attacking more spirituals from behind.

It had an enormous effect on the battle position of the Reborn. The spirituals started dividing their attention, but their numbers went down rapidly. The warriors felt that their Force artillery support had disappeared. The AT-STs could now fully focus on the ground troops. The warriors could not handle it all. The numbers of the AT-STs and the ground troops were just too overwhelming. One by one they fell.

Maw and Kyle had single-handedly overpowered the rear defence. "Hey Maw, guess what," Kyle said with a smirk.

The Boltrunian seemed annoyed.

"All right, all right, I'll tell you," Kyle laughed. "I've seen families from my cell. These are only their main defensive forces. They must have put their spouses and children somewhere else."

Maw grinned. "I'm on it!" He flew away to further back in the cave.


	14. Chapter XIII

Jerec just finished his walk through the palace gardens. It was exactly what he loved doing when things were happening. The peaceful calm of wildly growing, yet domesticated nature portrayed a sense of control. The flowers did all they could to grow more and more sprouts, but never would they reach beyond the boundaries of the garden. The wild contained within their power. It made Jerec feel powerful. He tried to sense the battle. He knew that it took place so far away, it would be impossible to sense it, even for him, but he had focused his senses on Maw. He did not expect any complications. The Reborn had no alternative but to be wiped out.

He reached the steps that led back to the palace. The short lane of stepping stones provided a view of the training grounds, where Colonel Brolly was shouting instructions at hundreds of troops. Jerec could not see it, but felt exactly what was going on. He pretended to stare at them for a while, which he knew was motivating the troops to do their very best. As he continued his walk, he thought about Admiral Perlon and the rest of the insubordinates. Their little uprising had been petty. Jerec had been informed that the stolen ship was destroyed while orbiting Sullust. Some of them were likely to have been on the surface when it happened. What did it mean? Even though there was a relatively small amount of troops involved, what were the repercussions for the rest of the army? Jerec realised that his power was partly depending on the strength of his army, even though he was too proud to admit it. The insubordinates would have to be made an example of, properly.

As the Emperor reached the palace hall, he sensed a familiar presence. Boc approached him merrily and greeted him happily. "Hello, Master! You had called for me?"

Jerec sniffed condescendingly. He turned away as he recommenced his walk towards the lift.

"Master?" Boc didn't understand. His merry mood had turned to a frightened one within seconds. He looked back and saw Rosh await his turn.

Without looking, the Emperor spoke. "When I call you back, Boc, you are to come back immediately."

"That's what I did, M-"

"Don't lie," Jerec said slowly as he stopped his pace.

"All right, we took a small detour, b-"

"Spare me your petty excuses."

As Jerec walked on and entered the lift, Boc was left shocked and confused. If there was one person he did not want to see angry it was his Master, but never had his Master been this angry at him before. He could not bear this. As the lift was ascending, Boc ran for the stairs. When he made it up to the floor where Jerec's office was located, his Master had already exited the lift.

Boc jumped to his knees. "Master, I beg your forgiveness!"

Jerec stopped and pretended to look down at his servant. He sensed the fear in Boc's eyes as the Twi'lek tried to kiss Jerec's feet. It was almost pathetic. "In my office."

The two entered Jerec's office. Boc expected Jerec to ask him to sit, but it didn't happen, so he remained standing.

"Your disobedience is most inconvenient, Boc," spoke Jerec. "The battle for Sullust has begun hours ago."

"Forgive me, Master, I didn't know it was that urgent-"

"SILENCE!"

Boc quickly bowed and stepped back.

"Whenever I call you it is always urgent." Jerec sighed. "I know what you've been doing."

"Master?"

"When I first found you, Boc, you were but a slave." Jerec circled around the room as he spoke. "A young Twi'lek in the servitude of an honest officer of the Imperial army. I took you out of there, because I saw your potential."

Boc bowed again. "You have my eternal gratitude, Master."

Jerec gestured him to be silent. "I know I do." He paused for a moment. "I realised of course that you would carry your past with you as you slowly turned into the Dark Jedi you have become. I did not realise you still had a desire to avenge those who enslaved you."

"Not just those who enslaved _me_ , Master…"

Jerec raised an eyebrow.

Boc continued, "They enslaved my whole family. I haven't heard from them since. My father, my mother, my twin brother..."

Jerec made a discerning noise. "Spare me the sentimentalities."

"Forgive me, Jerec, I figured I would be able to search for them while things in the Empire are quiet."

"Quiet?" spat Jerec. "We had the possibility to destroy all resistance in the galaxy today… I've yet to hear from Maw."

Boc lowered his head.

"What you do on your patrols is your business, Boc. I want none of it. Do realise though that you're leaving a trail of bodies. Someone is bound to notice at one point."

Boc nodded. "I will never again prioritise my personal business over that of the Empire, Master."

Jerec noticed his com-device blink on his desk. He pressed the button and saw the hologram of Admiral Mobbis appear.

"Yes, Commander?"

The Admiral cleared his throat. "Sir, Maw reported from the surface that the battle has ended. We emerged victorious, sir. No survivors. We did find Kyle Katarn. Apparently he was imprisoned by the Reborn."

"Splendid news, Admiral. What about the defectors and possible other rebels? I heard that apparently there were survivors of the Academy sweep and political outlaws involved."

"Well, erm," stuttered the Admiral. "As you know, we destroyed the _Vengeance_ , but we did find one of our shuttles on the surface, which would indicate a few possible survivors. There was one Corellian ship that escaped our grip."

Jerec cut the connection. Would this never end?

* * *

Na-quam let out a few tears of joy as he heard how Jaden Korr had survived. He didn't know why he was so emotional about the matter. His mind was supposed to be in control of his emotions.

"We have to find Jaden!" said Nebba decisively.

"Why? We don't even know if he made it out of that base," protested Han.

"He is alive, I know it!"

"Okay, okay," said Han as he gestured her to calm down. "Suppose he is alive, where are we going to find him? How will we know if it's worth the risk? He was with the enemy for all that time, working for them. How do we know it's not a trap?"

"Didn't you hear what the officer said?" asked Nebba. "He defected."

"It took him two years… and he joined the Reborn. I have no idea if we can even trust those people."

Na-quam cleared his mind. "What do you suggest, Han?"

"I suggest we lay low for a while in a safe place until we have a plan. Then we start building a following. We have to ask ourselves if it is worth it to search for this one person who might be a valuable ally. I'd say he'll come to us when the time is right."

"Not all of us need to take the risk," said Na-quam. "Most of us will have to follow your lead, Han, as we agreed at the beginning, but perhaps we can send a single person to go and search for Jaden?"

"Who would do that?" asked Han. He looked around. He somehow felt that it would be a huge waste of time and man power to do this, yet the Jedi wanted to pick up their friend.

Nebba wanted to do it. "Send me, Master."

The old Jedi shook his head immediately. "I cannot do that, I'm afraid. You are too inexperienced to cross the galaxy all alone."

"Then send someone with me!" said Nebba.

Suddenly Lando stormed out of the cockpit and searched the people for Na-quam. When he found him, he spoke, "Na-quam, your padawan is contacting us."

Na-quam rose to his feet and followed Lando to the cockpit. The hologram of Vidomina was waiting for him. "Master!"

"Vidomina! Where are you?"

"Reporting in from Nal Hutta, as promised. Come get us, Yun is on our tail! We're about to enter the palace of Gorga the Hutt to deliver the weapons and ask for protection, but it might not work."

"Send your coordinates, we will come for you immediately!" said Na-quam.

As soon as the hologram had disappeared, Lando said, "We cannot afford to go to Nal Hutta, Master Jedi. We risk everything if we face Yun's battle cruiser with this ship."

"We will land where you deem it safe," concluded Na-quam. "From there onwards, we must temporarily split up. I will take Nebba and go to Nal Hutta to pick up Vidomina and Padora."

Lando nodded. "Where are the rest of your padawans?"

* * *

Vidomina prepared to leave the ship. It was storming on Nal Hutta. The green muddy soil was so wet it almost looked like a swamp.

"Come on!" called Padora. She had already gone outside to scout the perimeter. They had landed in one of the Hutt's private spaceports which were connected to his palace. "Acid rain. You better get some protective suit." She pointed to a hatch in the side of the living area which Vidomina knew led to the cargo hold. Vidomina found an extra suit and put it on.

They left the ship and entered the open area of the docking bay. The bright green drops poured down on them. Vidomina felt that the suit would not protect her forever under this heavy rain. They hastened towards an opening in the wall, which led to a hall of stairs. At least the rain wouldn't get them here.

"Is this rain not damaging the ship?" she asked.

Padora looked at her. "You really don't know anything about ships, do you?" She laughed. "Obviously they can handle this type of weather or Nal Hutta wouldn't have any." She found a control panel with an Ugnaught man waiting for them.

"Welcome to Nal Hutta," he squeeked. "Shall I close the roof?"

"Yes, please," smiled Padora. "And could you fix the hyperdrive for me? I'll pay of course."

The Ugnaught took a short bow and got to work.

The rest of the docking bay was soberly decorated. Straightforward halls, corridors, and staircases built with a mud-coloured rock paved the road ahead to the palace proper. Vidomina followed Padora through the narrow corridors. Apparently, she knew her way around here. The palace was instantly more of a feast to the eye. From the moment they entered the first hall, red drapes and colourful billboards were scattered over the walls; the muddy rock had been replaced by solid durasteel and a satisfyingly modern variety of colours.

Padora noticed how Vidomina was somewhat relieved. "Feels good to recognise proper civilisation, doesn't it?" She smiled as she guided Vidomina to a conference hall of some sort. She knocked on the door.

A droid approached them. It spoke Huttese.

"We'd like an audience with Gorga the Hutt," Padora answered.

The droid spoke again, but this time through a microphone. Vidomina figured he was contacting the Hutt for permission. Soon after, the large door was opened slowly. Padora preceded Vidomina inside.

The conference room was large and round. Three Hutts were physically present, while four more Hutts were present as a hologram. They were organised in a circle and apparently arguing over something. When the physically present Hutts noticed Padora, they stopped. The fattest of the three addressed her in Huttese. He seemed to have some sort of lens cover his left eye and an earpiece attached to his ear and mouth.

"Greetings, mighty Gorga," Padora said as she took a bow. Vidomina followed her example. Padora continued. "And, greetings also to you, probably equally mighty, visitors of Gorga, whom I do not know by name."

The Hutts chuckled and clearly approved of her tone. Gorga apparently asked the others to leave them alone for now as the holograms shut down immediately and the other two left on their own.

"I'm sorry to drop in unannounced," continued Padora. "I know I promised your weapons shipment to arrive a few rotations later, but there were some unforeseen circumstances."

The Hutt spoke back to her, but Vidomina did not understand Huttese.

Padora did, apparently. "There is no way you will be a victim of these circumstances, I'm certain of that. I was robbed and my base is shattered. I have taken whatever weapons I could with me as I fled the mansion."

The Hutt scratched its fat chin.

"Since I cannot complete the rest of your order, I will give you these weapons for free." She paused, hoping to get a reaction from Gorga.

The Hutt seemed to consider her words carefully, but then he waved it away and seemed offended as he growled some words.

"You misunderstand, mighty Gorga," Padora said hastily. "It will take a long time before I'll be back in business. Since you have always been a loyal customer, this gesture is genuine. All I ask in return is that you provide protection for us long enough for our ship to be repaired."

Gorga the Hutt seemed to nod. It was hard to tell, because he could hardly move. He then burst into laughter.

Vidomina had no idea what was going on. She looked at Padora, who also seemed confused by the laughter.

The Hutt said, as Padora understood it, "I will accept your gift of weapons, but I'm afraid I cannot give you protection."

"How do you mean?" Padora tried not to sound panicky.

"I have already promised to deliver you to someone else." More laughter. It was at that moment that Vidomina felt that something was wrong. Guards and bounty hunters approached them from all angles. "You will now be given to the Dark Jedi."

"Wait!" shouted Padora desperately. The guards stopped for a moment and glanced at Gorga, who was waiting expectantly. "Why, Gorga? Have I ever betrayed you?"

The Hutt sighed and wormed itself forward. "My dear Padora," he said. "You will understand. You were a great business partner for as long as it lasted, but it's hard to reject an offer in the name of the Emperor. I pity having to sacrifice our business relationship like this, but Yun has promised me that he will only take the fugitives. You can stay here and be… protected." Gorga burst into laughter again.

Vidomina turned around. She felt his presence. Yun was near. She shot Padora an alarming look. There was nowhere to go. Guards and bounty hunters were all aiming at Vidomina. One suspicious move and she would be gone.

Padora sank to her knees. It was over. Her life was completely over. She would spend the rest of her miserable existence as a slave to Gorga the Hutt. She felt Vidomina's hand on her shoulder. She shook it off. She didn't want to be comforted by Vidomina at this point. She was the cause of the demise of the Hames Enterprise. Her only hope in restoring it had been Gorga.

Stormtroopers had appeared behind them and paved the way for Yun himself. He entered majestically and triumphantly, as if victorious in this game of hide and seek. When he saw Vidomina, his smile turned into a wide grin. He completely ignored Padora.

"The welp has run out of places to hide," he said as he smirked. "What are you going to do now, Pereilia? Trying to grab another hostage to hide behind? Forcing another convincing act? When are you going to face me yourself as the Jedi you are?"

Vidomina closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. The nerves were teasing her and Yun's dark aura frightened her. She had to resist, she knew it. When she opened her eyes, she spoke. "I'm here, am I not?"

Yun raised an eyebrow. "Evidently."

"We can settle it right here, right now." Everyone in the room was clearly fascinated by the conversation. Gorga was hoping for a good lightsabre duel to feast his eyes on. Vidomina herself wasn't sure what she was doing. She wouldn't last long in a duel against Yun, she knew it. But was there any other way? She preferred a fight to an execution.

Yun had not anticipated this bold suggestion. He was visibly surprised as he slowly walked to Padora. "Where are the other fugitives, dear?"

Padora looked up beggingly. "On their way to Sullust."

Yun looked at Vidomina. "Good. This means they too are now destroyed. Oh, did you not hear?" he asked as he noticed Vidomina's alarming expression. "The last report came in and the Reborn have been wiped out entirely, including any and every single person in that cave. Your Corellian ship has been sighted and destroyed!"

Vidomina was confused. She knew he was bluffing. She had contacted them less than an hour ago. But was he? How would he know what kind of ship they'd be flying? She shook her head. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Yun activated his lightsabre and spun it around for all to see. The effect was intimidating. The guards and bounty hunters quickly stepped back in awe, but also in regard for their own safety. Gorga chuckled. Yun did not break eye contact with Vidomina. Suddenly he lowered his sabre and let it sink into Padora's chest. With a gasp, she fell lifeless to the floor. The spectators were clearly fascinated and cheered loudly. Gorga ordered the droids to start serving drinks and snacks.

Vidomina stared at Padora's body. The last of her friends had been killed. Or did he bluff after all? She wasn't sure. She felt confused.

"Are you going to cry now?" taunted Yun.

Energy crackled. Vidomina's lightsabre had come to life. She still wasn't sure, but she wasn't really thinking anymore. She felt the anger pumping through her body. She raised her sabre. Yun raised his.

Suddenly she jumped forward. Yun blocked her attack. "You don't seriously think you stand a chance, do you, padawan?" He pushed her away with ease. She came at him again with a series of attacks and attempted kicks. He dodged and blocked without too much effort. "Is this all you have for me?" he said with a tone of boredom. She again jumped at him. He blocked again, but this time his free hand grabbed her by the throat. He lifted her up and threw her at the ground.

Vidomina remained on the ground. The smack woke her up from her temporary haze. She realised how she had reacted and immediately felt regret. Yun was looking down at her and realised that she calmed down.

"You're a feisty one, padawan, but you lack the skill. Perhaps with some quality training, you shall become a great Dark Jedi."

Vidomina shook her head. "You cannot turn me."

Yun smirked. "Where I might fail, others will succeed. Just wait until you meet the Emperor." He turned to the Stormtroopers. "Take her to the shuttle." He grabbed her sabre and watched as the troopers took her away. He now turned to Gorga. "Apologies for ruining your personal slave, Gorga."

The Hutt raised his chalice and smiled. "You have given me a great show in return."

Yun smiled and took a very short bow with his head, before he also headed for the shuttle.

* * *

Lando found Na-quam and Han in the cargo hold.

"What are you doing down here?"

"It's the most quiet place on the ship right now," said Na-quam. "There are also no Imperial ears listening down here."

Lando nodded. "That's actually exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. If you want, we'll be with your padawans in a few moments, but I'm not sure if we can trust Jonvidis and his men."

"We were wondering the same thing," agreed Han. "That Perlon was the admiral of the _Vengeance_ , the ship that led the assault on Coruscant."

"The ship that held Jerec when he attacked the Academy," added Na-quam.

The door to the cargo hold opened again. Jonvidis entered.

"Ah, so here is the real party."

Na-quam looked up. "Can we help you?"

"I'm clearly interrupting something. Listen, I don't mean to bother you, but your pilot has been circling this system for quite some time now. Are we going to land here or not?" Han and Lando exchanged looks. Jonvidis continued. "I get this. You don't trust me with your hideout yet. You think I would report it all to Jerec."

"Listen, Palo," said Na-quam. "You made it clear you ran away from Jerec, there is no doubt about that. What we don't get is what your deal is? Suppose we overthrow Jerec… just suppose we actually succeed… What will you do then? Assume leadership of the Remnant army? Oppose us again?"

Jonvidis sat down on one of the many crates. "There need not be opposition. Ever since the foundation of the Galactic Empire, we've been led by Dark Jedi and power hungry individuals. We were but pawns in their game. Very few of those now serving in the army can remember what we were before that; guardians of the Republic. I believe it is time for a revolution once again. We must become one again. Let's face it, Sith are the true enemies of the galaxy."

"Words after our hearts," said Han with a slight bow and a grin.

"Yes," agreed Lando. "Your feeding us exactly what we want to hear. How realistic is this plan of yours?"

"I cannot promise you that I'll be able to assume leadership of the army," said Jonvidis. "What I can promise you is that an army is only as dangerous as its leader. Jerec is a narcissistic madman. He trusts only himself. If we can prevent the Sith from maintaining their grip on the Imperial army, we can perhaps find a way to peace. I have to try."

Na-quam grabbed Lando's shoulder. "It is ok. Let us land, so I can go after Vidomina."

As Lando and Han left, with Na-quam intending to follow, he was stopped by Jonvidis. "Master Jedi, can I have a word?" The old Jedi turned around. "Word has it that you're going after one of the Dark Jedi of Jerec, isn't that so?"

"Possibly." Na-quam was curious to hear where this was going.

"I think I might be able to help you."

"I'm listening."

"On board you are carrying the entire Coruscant branch of the Imperial science team. Shortly before they were forced into hiding they discovered something you might want to know about. Something this Dark Jedi has on his body right now."

* * *

Vidomina followed the troopers through a series of corridors. They had reached the spaceport again. She felt weak. She had lost her lightsabre. She hadn't even been able to wound Yun. The image of Padora's body forced its way into her head. It was her fault, she knew it. It had been she who forced Padora into this mess.

Suddenly she recognised the corridors around her. It was the way they had come through! Would she be able to reach the Hames freighter? The thought gave her strength. She had to wait for the right opportunity. Without warning, she turned around and tackled the two troopers behind her in one stroke; grabbed one of their rifles; and ducked into another corridor. It wouldn't take long at all for the troopers to come after her, she figured, so she ran as fast as she could. The first blast marks appeared in the wall just when she reached another corner.

It was easier than expected. If only she could avoid Yun. She followed the way to the Hames freighter as she remembered it. The Ugnaught was still there. Vidomina slowed down and tried to be as calm as possible as she spoke, "We'll be leaving now, open the roof, please."

The Ugnaught was surprised. "Already? Erm… ok, sure." As the roof opened and Vidomina quickly entered the ship, the Ugnaught suddenly remembered and ran at the ship, whilst screaming, "Wait! The hyperdrive isn't fixed, yet!" The man was even more surprised when Stormtroopers appeared from behind and started shooting the freighter.

Retros fired as Vidomina flew the ship out of the spaceport.

Yun arrived too. "Don't worry, we'll blast her to pieces as she reaches space." As he was about to leave, he quickly remembered. "No, wait! Damage her, but don't destroy her. Jerec will want her alive."

As soon as she left Nal Hutta, Vidomina saw what she was up against. A huge battle cruiser was positioned in orbit of the planet. It had ejected a couple of TIE fighters in attack formation, ready to strike. She quickly entered coordinates to prepare the jump to hyperspace, but the moment she engaged the jump, the engine failed. She swore.

The TIE fighters were coming in. Vidomina couldn't dodged them. They hit her exactly where they wanted.

"The hyperdrive is already down!" shouted Vidomina as the blasts hit the place where that engine was located. There was no way she could survive in space. She turned the ship around and saw one of the moons of Nal Hutta, Nar Shaddaa, closeby. "Let's see if they can find me there."

* * *

Na-quam and Nebba had taken a ship and were headed for Nal Hutta. Suddenly they were contacted. The hologram of Vidomina appeared.

"Master, I- oh, hi, Nebba!" She waved and smiled. "I'm no longer on Nal Hutta! Padora is dead. I'm currently trying not to be found on Nar Shaddaa. I'm about to hit the local bars."

"All right, Vidomina, listen up," said Na-quam slowly. "Head to the _Haunted Merrily_. Tell the innkeeper that Luke loves him."

"Erm…, Master?"

"Just do it. It'll save your life!" He checked his location. "We'll be there very soon."

"Right… gotta run!" The hologram disappeared.

Nebba looked at her Master in a funny way. "What was that all about?"

Na-quam smiled sheepishly. "You have to have your connections, my dear padawan."

* * *

Vidomina knew there was no time to hide the freighter. The TIE fighters had followed her into the planet's atmosphere and were circling around her position. Suddenly they opened fire and the freighter exploded. The padawan was blown away by the blast, but she didn't sustain severe injury. She had landed on the rooftop of one of the higher buildings she could find. Perhaps this was not the smartest of moves, she admitted soon after, but she was glad not to have to fly anymore. She quickly got up and walked to the edge of the rooftop. She saw a path down by jumping from roof to roof.

* * *

As she made her first jump, the TIE fighters saw how this would complicate them capturing her and fired at her, attempting to wound, not to kill.

" _Target heading west._ "

" _Roger._ "

" _I got a lock on the target. Just give me the signal._ "

" _Negative. Orders are to wound only._ "

" _Engage in circle formation. Over._ "

" _Roger that, TIE leader._ "

" _Roger._ "

" _Roger._ "

" _Anyone else wondering why we're hunting a little girl?_ "

" _Orders are to capture._ "

" _She's a mad jumper, though. Look at her go!_ "

" _Circling around her right now._ "

" _Affirmative._ "

" _Open fire all around her. Over._ "

" _Roger._ "

" _Roger._ "

" _Roger._ "

"Y _eah, she has nowhere to go from there._ "

" _Target has slipped through our circle._ "

" _What's the deal with this one? That's not how my daughter behaves at all!_ "

" _Word is she's some sort of Jedi student._ "

" _Is that even possible? Didn't they all die a couple of years back?_ "

" _All right, men, cut the chatter! Where did she go? Over._ "

" _I'm on her tail, TIE leader. Descending down the side of this corporate building._ "

" _Open fire. Over._ "

" _Roger that, TIE leader._ "

" _You're alone, Private. We have no visual._ "

" _Roger. Target down._ "

" _You killed her? Did you forget your orders?_ "

" _Negative, TIE leader. Target is actually falling. I didn't fire, yet._ "

" _Engage pursuit. Over._ "

" _Roger. Team, lock on to my coordinates._ "

" _Coordinates received._ "

" _Affirmative._ "

" _She's caught some sort of cable._ "

" _Confirmed. Gliding down with ease. What sort of acrobat is this?_ "

" _Where does that cable lead to?_ "

" _I'll scout ahead._ "

" _I have a lock. Say the word and that cable is gone._ "

" _Negative. Target may die. Over._ "

" _We could break her fall and catch her._ "

" _Negative. Report is that ground troops have arrived. They will wait for her at the end of the cable. Over._ "

" _That cable is leading towards the entertainment district. That's a lot of places to hide._ "

" _It's out of our hands now. Over._ "

* * *

Vidomina was glad to see the TIE fighters remain at a distance, even though they had made it very clear that they were not going to harm her. They were probably just scouts, trying to intimidate her and secure her position, but they couldn't follow her to the entertainment district. She rode the cable down to the pub district and let go. She landed on her hands and feet just in front of a bar, but she could not understand its name. Even though she quickly entered, she hoped it wouldn't be the _Haunted Merrily_ , because the TIE fighters had spotted her entering it. The owner confirmed that it was indeed a different bar, but she at least got directions.

* * *

"All right, soldiers! Orders are simple. Seek and take captive. She is unarmed. She was last seen entering the _Bottomless Liver_ one minute ago. Go, go, go!"

Corporal Geudi watched as his men hurried to find the fugitive. The Admiral had given him fifty of the best Stormtroopers to carry out this mission. The Corporal himself did not join the troopers in their search. He took an airspeeder and positioned himself on top of the chase, providing commentary from the sky. From the corner of his eye he saw the TIE fighters hovering above the scene, but he ignored it. This was the way he enjoyed it. He would not be replaced by a bunch of fighters.

"Commander, report!" he shouted at the com-link.

The stormofficer replied immediately. " _She has already left the bar, sir. She left quite a ravaged scene as well. All the guests are running around hysterically and the host is unconscious._ "

"She can't be far! Continue your search!" He flew over the bar in question. It was connected to a whole block of bars and shops, which eventually ended up near an open marketplace. "Commander, send a team to the other side of the district!"

" _Yes, sir. Half our troops are already underway._ "

"I see her! She's in the marketplace!"

" _We're on it!_ "

* * *

Vidomina knew she had made a mistake going outside again. She could've used the chaos to take cover. Now, she heard the roar of engines and noticed the officer in his airspeeder. She felt the blaster hanging from her belt. She had taken it from the bartender when she knocked him unconscious. Should she use it? Without a second thought, she turned around, aimed at the airspeeder and shot three times.

* * *

"Mayday! Mayday!" screamed Corporal Geudi as he crashed into a market stand. He hastily removed himself from the wreckage before it exploded. Angry, he looked at the fire. He cleaned his suit, adjusted his cap, and stroke his moustache. They would need more to stop Corporal Geudi! "Temporary loss of vision! Subject is armed after all!"

" _But sir, we could ask the TIE fighters to be our eye in the sky?_ "

"Don't you 'sir' me! We will execute this operation for the honour of the 362nd! Do you get that?"

" _As you wish, sir._ "

"Get your asses to the market place immediately!" As he put away his com-device, he noticed how passers-by were staring at him, probably wondering what the fuss was all about. "Go away, nothing to see here! Unless you can give information on the whereabouts of a young, black-haired girl about this high" – he carelessly swung his right hand into the air – "get the hell out of here!"

Slightly offended, the crowd slowly dispersed as people went about their business. The Corporal waited on the spot until he finally saw the first of his squad arrive at the scene. "Nothing too early! She went that way!" He pointed at the direction in which he had last seen her move.

"What are you going to do, sir?" asked one of the troopers, slightly annoyed.

"I'm going to find a new speeder, so we can do this properly!" he shouted.

"Well, sir," the trooper said before he cleared his throat. "With all due respect, but you could've followed her on foot."

"Don't you dare lecture me, young man! What's your name and rank? I'll have you transferred to cleaning duty! Did I make myself clear?" His face had turned purple with rage.

"Down, you," said the stormofficer as he arrived on the scene. "I will not have you shout at my men." He took off his helmet. The man had a light skin, a crooked nose, and short, curly hair. "That remains my task, Corporal."

"Well, then, you better tell you men to continue their search and mind their own business, Genes!" The Corporal left the group behind.

"Don't let him get to you, soldier," said Genes. "He's a one of a kind, but he has no authority over us. Let's get moving!"

* * *

It took a couple of hours before they reached the Nal Hutta system. The battle cruiser was still in orbit of the planet.

"I guess they still haven't found her… that's good," murmured Na-quam as Nebba flew the ship towards Nar Shaddaa. "Try to land as close to the _Haunted Merrily_ as possible."

* * *

" _Any news from the surface?_ "

" _Negative. Over._ "

" _Can you see anything?_ "

" _Don't bother. The Corporal is not interested in our assistance. Over._ "

" _It's been hours. Let's be honest, they lost her._ "

" _Yup. Over._ "

" _Shall we return to the ship?_ "

" _Negative. We must wait for the order. Over._ "

" _Incoming ship._ "

" _Another one?_ "

" _It's Corellian._ "

" _That's fifty credits for me! Let's have a bet on the next one._ "

" _I'm betting on Imperial._ "

" _I'll go for Corellian again, they seem to be popular nowadays._ "

" _Never bet on the same ship twice, Jaren! I'll go for Huttese._ "

" _That's way too easy, you can't get full price on those over here._ "

* * *

Vidomina held her breath as she heard a ship coming near. The host gestured her to return to her hiding place. She obeyed and crawled into the ventilation shaft. She sensed familiar presences, but she couldn't adjust her senses… her heart was beating loudly in her throat. The moment she had arrived at the _Haunted Merrily_ she had almost collapsed from fatigue. She felt like she'd been running for days. It actually was true, in a sense. The host had never asked a question, he just put her in the ventilation shaft without words. There was actually a hidden room in there. Vidomina had spent the last few hours comfortably resting in that secret room. There was food, there were drinks, and there was a comfortable bed. She dared not sleep, though. The thought of the soldiers still out there made her feel restless and unsafe.

* * *

Yun couldn't think clearly anymore. He had her in his grasp and then the soldiers let her get away. The body of Corporal Geudi was in front of him. He kicked it hard into the gutter. Yun let out a scream of rage. In his head he heard a voice. The voice of Jerec said to him, "Calm your mind and focus on the task at hand." Yun obeyed. He closed his eyes for a moment, but he had barely calmed down or his attention was pulled by a Corellian ship soaring over them. He felt it! He knew it! She was escaping!

"Shoot that ship out of the sky! Destroy it! Vaporise it!" He was way past trying to catch her alive. She had to die now.

* * *

" _There's another Corellian ship, guys! Pay me when the mission is over._ "

" _I think it's actually the same one._ "

" _Cut the chatter, team. Blast that Corellian ship from the sky. Yun's orders. Over._ "

" _Roger, TIE leader._ "

" _Roger._ "

" _Aww, such a pity. That ship made me a lot of money._ "

" _Never rely on the same bet for too long, Jaren._ "

" _I got a lock._ "

" _Affirmative._ "

" _It's heading for space._ "

" _Fire!_ "

" _Minor damage._ "

" _I'm calling support from the cruiser. Over._ "

" _Come on, we are four to one, we can take this one._ "

" _Negative. We're not taking any risks. Over._ "

" _I'm on their tail._ "

" _They're preparing for hyperspace._ "

" _Fire all guns! Don't let them leave! Over!_ "

" _Aww it's too late… there they go…_ "

" _Only just got confirmation from the cruiser. Damn that ship was fast… Over._ "

" _Better cancel that party._ "

" _Boy, are we gonna get it._ "


	15. Epilogue

"This is unpleasant news…" Jerec wasn't sure how victorious they'd actually been. Kyle and Maw were standing in his office, alongside Admiral Mobbis. A hologram of Yun was positioned near the wall. "So let me paraphrase what all of you have just reported. Instead of one group of terrorists, based in a fixed location, we have have tiny scraps of terrorists we must exterminate, operating from numerous possible locations… and we have no lead on them?" He paused. There was no way to see this differently, they knew it. "What about Jaden?"

"I can confirm that he was indeed present in that cave moments before the battle began," said Kyle hoarsely. "I could not find him during the battle… I have searched high and low for him. He must've left with the rest aboard that Corellian ship."

"So Jaden is now officially reunited with his former Master?" sighed Jerec. "This is very disturbing. He's been inside for so long. Kyle, I cannot believe you didn't see him through. Jaden is your personal responsibility, Katarn! You will find him and kill him! Along with the other Jedi!"

Kyle did not dare to look up. "Yes, Master."

"Master, at least the Reborn Clan has been exterminated," objected Maw. "Isn't that at least a little bit of a victory?"

"The Reborn were petty terrorists. Their command over the Force and their feeble skills with a sabre were irrelevant. This victory is meaningless with the Jedi still around. We almost caught one" – he turned towards Yun's hologram – "but then we didn't."

The door behind them opened. Boc and Rosh entered and hesitantly joined the others.

"Good, everyone's here," said Jerec. "It's time we reorganise our business around here." He sat down behind his desk. "Maw."

The Boltrunian proudly answered. "Yes, Master?"

"I have absolutely no complaints about your functioning the way you do. You will continue your post."

Maw grinned widely and nodded. "Thank you, Master."

"Boc."

The Twi'lek nervously looked up. "Master?"

"I have the feeling that you just need something to do…"

Boc nodded.

"There's a very special project I'm planning, which needs… motivational leadership. I'm sending you to the Mandalore system, where you'll oversee the construction of a new weapon on the moon of Concordia."

"Thank you, Master." The Twi'lek smiled.

"Rosh."

The young apprentice clumsily stepped forward, much to the others' dislike.

"You're switching Masters… Kyle will instruct you from now on."

Kyle closed his eyes. He absolutely hated Rosh. "Master, I beg to dif…"

"SILENCE!" Jerec sneered. "You have disappointed me greatly, Katarn. You had one job… your apprentice defected and you allowed yourself to be captured. At least you killed Desann, but he would've died anyway…"

"Don't do this, Master, please!"

Jerec made a discerning noise. He reached out his hand and shot a short burst of lightning at Kyle. With a scream he was knocked backwards and almost hit the wall. "You have no idea how lucky you are right now." He made sure Katarn was still conscious, before he continued. "You will find Jaden and the rest of the Jedi… and you will kill him!"

Katarn felt his chest. It burned.

"Yun."

The hologram of Yun looked expectantly at his Master.

"It is a pity you could not catch a young padawan girl… You will, however, no longer remain stationary on Coruscant. That task will fall to Admiral Mobbis… Moff Mobbis, that is."

Mobbis took a short bow. "Thank you, Emperor."

"I have something special in mind for you, Yun… Something very special indeed. Leave your cruiser and depart for Edusa immediately. Your Admiral will know the way to Coruscant."

"As you wish, Master."

* * *

As the Corellian ship soared through space, Vidomina slowly woke up. The moment she had boarded the ship was the moment her body had finally given in to her tiredness. As she opened her eyes and saw the ceiling of the ship, she was reminded of all that had happened. She remembered the fear that had taken hold of her, the journey she travelled with Padora, Padora's death, and the fight with Yun, in which she felt powerless… she screamed as she remembered the rage she felt at that time.

Immediately the door opened and Na-quam entered. "You're awake, good! What's wrong?"

Vidomina sat up straight and tried to bury her head in her hands. "I… I have failed, Master." She felt like she lost. Her back hurt. She felt the hole left in her chest by the burning anger she felt on Nal Hutta. She grunted in frustration.

Na-quam sat down next to her and put his arm around her. He nodded gravely. "It's over now, Vidomina. You're safe."

"Master," she said as she shook her head in disappointment in herself. "I have failed as a Jedi…"

Her Master tried to look comforting. "You were confronted with the dark side of the Force at a very young age, Vidomina. You're still in one piece, you're still here. It doesn't look like you did that bad at all."

"Then why does it feel so awful?"

Na-quam smiled. "You briefly tried to use your anger to strengthen yourself, Vidomina. It unbalanced you. The way your mind responds to this is your true virtue. It only shows that you are truly of the light side."

She sniffed and considered his words. "I felt so weak…"

Her Master nodded.

"No really, I could do no harm to him…"

"Well, he is more experienced in the ways of the Force, even though he is a Dark Jedi." Na-quam hesitated. "That and your being unbalanced will have played a part."

Vidomina sighed, looking for something to say.

Na-quam quickly added, "Say no more. Try to clear your mind. Re-balance yourself. A Jedi must regain her calm at all times, especially when confronted with the dark side."

Vidomina nodded.

* * *

The cruisers had left orbit of the main planet hours ago. Life in Barons Hed resumed as it always had. The capital of Sulon, the moon to Sullust, always felt like it was so far from everything in the galaxy, the one time explosions and ships were visible, the whole city was watching. Benjin Meilarn quickly searched for his droid in the crowd. T-SVO hadn't noticed the big explosions visible on Sullust and had probably gone home. Benjin wiped the sweat from his forehead. What did this mean? What was going on out there? He had been held up by different people wanting to share their theories about what happened. Some of them were possible scenarios, others were a little far-fetched.

His friend Fenario suggested that perhaps the SoroSuub had turned against the Empire and now they had to pay the price. An old woman said it was too simple. She suggested the Empire was finally done with the SoroSuub and had tested one of their secret weapons on some of their facilities. Another by-stander, a Bith man with a reputation of village idiot, even though Barons Hed was a true city, suggested that there was a conspiracy involving Wookiees, the Hutt clan of the Desiljic, the Jedi order, and the SoroSuub Corporation. Apparently, the Empire had discovered the involvement of the SoroSuub and decided to act on it.

Benjin didn't know what to believe. It all sounded unlikely in his opinion. He forced his way through the crowd. A lot of people still weren't done debating the events. Benjin knew exactly why they didn't stop. Nothing notable ever happened on Sulon, except for the Imperial raids every now and then, but even those had become part of the routine.

When finally the crowd seemed to disperse as Benjin reached the far side of the market district, he saw someone he knew. A girl, approximately eighteen years old, dressed in the same colourless drapes as he was, was walking to the market. She had a pretty face with deep brown eyes, with dark curly hair dangling down her shoulders. Benjin had always liked her. There was something special about her he couldn't specify. Where the other girls his age and species would spend their time crafting baskets, growing crops, or otherwise working, this one was more interested in fighting, running, and jumping. Or something like that. She was smart too. Always coming to him with interesting facts about the galaxy. He didn't fully understand it. He admired her for it, especially because he knew for a fact that he wasn't that bright, but he didn't care. His family had been farmers for as long as he knew. He would be a farmer as well. There was no need to be bright. As long as he could remember where he grew what and how to treat which crop, there were no complications. Not at all like her future. She was interested in fighting, exploring, arguing. Benjin always figured Sulon was too small for her. He hoped that she would stay, but deep down he knew it was only a matter of time until she'd leave.

She didn't immediately see him.

"Hey, Jorina!" he shouted as he waved and smiled at her.

She turned her head. "Hey," she said as she approached him. "Did you see what happened?"

"Yeah. Some war zone."

"I wonder what is going on out there." She stared off into the sky.

"On Sullust, you mean?"

She shook her head. "Everywhere. Don't you hate how cut off this place is from the rest of the galaxy?"

Benjin smirked. "I wouldn't know it any other way."

Jorina smiled as she looked down. "Neither would anyone else over here. Maybe I'll sign up for the army."

"You know they don't usually allow women in the army, right?"

She shook her head. "You too? I can't believe everyone keeps saying that." She looked disappointedly at him for a while. "I should get going."

"Yeah," replied Benjin. "Do you want to… erm… grab some coffee this weekend?"

Jorina rolled her eyes and gave a vague smile. "Sure, but just coffee, nothing more, get it?"

Benjin nodded. "I get it." It wasn't the first time he had asked her out, so she knew exactly what he wanted, yet she agreed to drink coffee for the last couple of times because she appreciated his friendship. There weren't many other people that liked being around her, so she at least appreciated his interest, even though she could not give him what he wanted.

They each went their separate ways. Benjin looked back at her one more time only to find out that she didn't do the same. She didn't belong in Barons Hed. He continued his journey homewards thinking about her. He couldn't stand the thought of her leaving and the realisation that she ultimately would made his heart ache. Benjin knew that drinking coffee with her was pointless, but he wanted to savour every moment of her still being around.

The Meilarn Homestead was located to the south-east of Barons Hed. The building itself was built fairly close to the city wall, while the acres and crops grew on the other side. Ffanjin, Benjin's father, used to say that it allowed them quick escape into the city, should the Grave Tuskens show up to attack them. One of the benefits of Imperial control of Sulon was the increased protection against these Tuskens. One of the downsides was that the Empire demanded sixty percent of their crops in exchange for it. It was a price they had to pay. Somehow, the danger of these Tuskens had grown a lot in the past few years. Benjin wondered where they came from. His grandfather used to say that there weren't any in the past… none at all! "There's a good chance the Empire created them or flew them in just to get a grip on the local farmers!" Benjin remembered how the Imperial troopers had taken his grandfather away a couple of raids ago. They had never seen him again.

Benjin entered, greeted his mother, and hung up his coat. "T-SVO back yet?"

"In the kitchen, helping your father," answered Manya, his mother. She barely looked up as she sat down in her mobile chair. She sounded a bit tired.

"Is it your back again?" asked Benjin.

"I would nod if I could," answered his mother.

Benjin sighed. This was the price they paid for allowing the Empire to take their crops. They made barely any money to get by and they couldn't buy any more droids to help on the farm. His mother kept wrestling with back and neck injuries, but she had to go on. His father was a few years younger, so at least he could work a bit more. He tried to change to subject. "Did you see the explosions on Sullust today? There's word Imperial battle cruisers were involved."

"Does it look like I can look up?"

Benjin walked to the kitchen, hoping to be able to make some conversation without being reminded of their misfortune. Ffanjin greeted his son.

"Good to see you, son. When T-SVO arrived here without you I began to fear for the worst! With all the explosions on Sullust and all…"

"I was held up… trying to find out what was going on."

His father looked at him very gravely. "Yes, some of it, probably debris of some sort has landed on one of our acres. We better check it out together. It has probably attracted attention from a band of Tuskens already."

"Which acre?"

"To the far east."

Benjin quickly grabbed a piece of bread, stuffed it in his mouth, grabbed a cup of water and drank it. "Let's go."

They took two rifles which were resting against the wall and headed outside. The sun had now fully risen and the warmth fully hit them. The droids were still working on the farm, plowing the acres to the west. The crops in that section had withered due to disease. There was nothing left to do and there was no more money for better compost at this point. They walked past the south acres and saw that all was fine in that wing. Ffanjin had recently installed a new sprinkler system, since the old one had been knawed on by mynocks. It had cost them quite a sum and nearly backrupted them.

They approached the eastern acres. Smoke was rising from them. As they drew closer they saw that it was a crashed ship.

"This could mean trouble…," murmured Ffanjin. Benjin knew that he was right. If the crashed ship was Imperial, removing it from their land would be erasing evidence. If the crashed ship was an enemy of the Empire, they would be accused of helping them hide their tracks.

When they finally reached the ship they saw it was a particularly small shuttle, possibly handcrafted by the looks of it. A man was sitting in the pilot's seat, unconscious. Ffanjin quickly opened the hatch manually, which went surprisingly easy, and felt the man's pulse.

"He is still alive. Help me get him out of there, before the ship explodes." Together, they took him out and carried him a good distance away from the ship. Ffanjin looked at the ship and the trail of destruction it had left behind during its crash. "Another acre full of healthy crops gone to waste…," he sighed.

Benjin looked at the man. He was a couple of years older than him. He looked pretty beat up by the crash, but there were no severe bleedings. He had short, brown hair and he was wearing some black robe with leather straps. Behind his ear was a long braid of hair. Benjin thought it looked kind of strange. It almost seemed as if this man was working for the Empire. He saw some kind of cylindric tube hanging from his belt and wondered what it was. As he reached out to it, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch that, Benjin!" said his father. "That is a lightsabre! This man…, he must be one of the Dark Jedi!"

"Dark Jedi?" asked Benjin. "What is a Dark Jedi?"

Ffanjin stared absently to the ground. "I heard rumours they existed… but I never actually knew…"

A huge explosion came from the ship. Ffanjin and Benjin fell to the ground. Benjin immediately turned towards the ship. It had been completely destroyed.

"We must get back to the farm, son!" shouted Ffanjin. "The Empire will be here soon!"

Suddenly the man coughed. The explosion would have awoken him. "Where am I?"

"Dad, he's talking!" Benjin hurried and knelt down by the man again. "Who are you?"

The man felt his head and tried to sit up straight. "I-is that my ship?"

Benjin nodded. "Who are you? Were you on Sullust during the explosions?"

The man nodded.

Ffanjin urged his son to come with him. "Son, come quickly! The Stormtroopers will soon be here!"

The man reacted alarmed. "Stormtroopers? Take me with you, please!"

"Who are you?" Benjin asked again.

"I am one of the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy… I am a fugitive to the Empire. I beg you, take me with you. I won't be any trouble."

Benjin looked at his father. Ffanjin seemed to understand what the man was saying. He nodded. "Prove it first. Prove that you're a Jedi and not a Dark Jedi."

The man sighed. "That is nearly impossible. We only differ in behaviour. Please…"

"All right," said Ffanjin, but he knew he was making a big mistake.

Benjin helped the man get to his feet, but something was wrong with his leg, so Benjin supported him as they walked. "What is your name, sir Jedi?"

"My name is Jaden Korr."


	16. Plot Summary

**Episode II: The Force Reborn 7 ABY**

In case you are too lazy to read through the entire story by yourself. ;)

Chapter I

Episode opens with two random rebels attempting to commit a terrorist attack against Jerec's Empire on Coruscant, but they are arrested and brought before Yun, who kills one of them and scares the other.

Kyle and Jaden land on Nal Reklum on their search for the Reborn clan, and Gamma the Hutt sends them to a cave nearby. They go there immediately, do some investigating, and before they know it, two Reborn cultists (Kathra and Rel Mook) pop up and a battle begins. Two more Reborn join, and finally Desann, who makes quite an entrance. They talk a little in between battles, and Desann tries to convince Jaden to come with him, claiming that he knows that Jaden is not truly on the dark side. He offers him one more chance to come with him at a later time.

Chapter II

After all this time, Han has finally been able to track many of his friends down, and is hosting a secret meeting on Coruscant to reform the rebellion. People who show up: Jedi Master Na-quam with a handful of padawans, Chewbacca, Admiral Ackbar, Wedge Antilles, Rilus Artem, Thuk Keen, Anda Megandi, and finally Lando Calrissian. Na-quam suggests to use the young padawans and shoves Vidomina Shades forward, but is shut down immediately, because people have a bad feeling about involving 16-year-old children in their fights.

Jerec yells at Kyle for a while about Jaden, after which Kyle retreats to the lounge. There, he overhears Jaden and Rosh arguing, but he cannot figure out why. As Boc comes to take Rosh away, Kyle and Boc vow to question their apprentices about this.

Yun awaits on Coruscant to test a new weapon, when he shoots down something he knows is important. When there are survivors, he quickly hastens towards the position of the crash. Chasing the survivors through an office building, he sees that they are Reborn agents. One of them dies. In the end, they trap him, but refuse to kill him, and knock him unconscious instead.

Chapter III

Jerec wants to wake up Kyle, but instead finds him already awake, because of nasty bugs. He proceeds to tell him that the dead Reborn on Coruscant held information regarding Desann's location on Katraasii. He warns Kyle that this is Jaden's final warning. If he messes this up, he will be killed. Jaden had already prepped the _Raven's Claw_ for take-off. They notice Boc's ship returning, but Jaden prevents Kyle from contacting him.

A meeting in Master Na-quam's hotel room with some of the new rebels, including the teen padawans Vidomina, Robuk, and Nebba. Han has found a freighter owned by a Padora Hames, which is the only large-enough ship in the vicinity not commandeered by the Empire. They discuss their options. One of the padawans would infiltrate the mansion, since they are the only ones not wanted by the Empire. Vidomina volunteered. There is a lot of doubt, due to her age, but they realise this is their only choice. They don't know how to do it yet, though.

Yun is visited by Maw under Jerec's orders to help him with the Reborn threat, to Yun's dismay. Their arguing is interrupted by Admiral Galak Fyyar, head of the Coruscant science division, who reports on a new discovery called the Shadow Armour, which can resist lightsabres and blasters. Yun claims the prototype for himself and orders Fyyar to report to Jerec on Edusa.

The Katraasii spaceport is ruled by Thigo the Hutt, who forwards Kyle and Jaden to a cantina where Abron Mar holds information. At the cantina, they need to enter the VIP, but Kyle cannot persuade the bouncer without violence, so Jaden steps in and corrects his attitude, which infuriates Kyle. When they meet Abron Mar, Jaden continues to correct Kyle and take over the conversation. The conversation is mainly political. They figure out Desann's location from Abron Mar and get to it. Kyle asks Jaden why he is all of a sudden so focused on the task, after which Jaden says he wants to prove himself once and for all.

Chapter IV

Jerec and Boc seem frustrated that they are unable to contact Kyle, but ask Thigo the Hutt to have someone slip him a new com-device. Jerec then receives Admiral Fyyar. When he hears about the Shadow Armour, Jerec grows paranoid and tells Fyyar to cease and desist. The Admiral threatens Jerec that the Reborn might be interested instead. After Jerec hurts the Admiral, he orders him to go to the Reborn with a tracker in his blood. He contacts Yun and finds that the dark youth was also unaware of Fyyar's ties to the Reborn. Jerec orders Yun to destroy the prototype, to Yun's dismay, and orders Maw to return to Edusa. (Yun says he will destroy the suit, but, honestly, who's going to check?)

Just as Kyle and Jaden are to enter the cantina where Desann is holding up, Kyle is stopped by an agent of Thigo the Hutt. Jaden enters, while Kyle establishes contact with Jerec. Jerec tells him to kill Jaden, for he is a traitor and is planning to join Desann (which he had told Rosh, which is why they were arguing). Kyle enters the cantina filled with rage. Desann and Jaden escape through the back, while two Reborn fighters (Kathra and Tavion). Tavion is killed.

Jaden and Desann have some catching up to do. Desann explains some of the history of the Reborn clan, as well as its power structure and its allegiance to the Force.

Chapter V

Secret rebel meeting. Wedge Antilles has an idea on how to get Vidomina inside the Hames mansion. There is a vacancy for babysitter/relax-buddy. They all find it very funny and perhaps too coincidental. Ackbar thinks it's a trap #meme, and suddenly everyone goes paranoid. More doubts towards padawans, and Na-quam explodes.

When he returns to his hotel room, his padawans have taken in two fugitives from the Reborn clan. After a shoddy introduction, Na-quam agrees to bring them along. In return, the Reborn will take them to their base.

Fyyar is accompanied by Maw to lead them to the Reborn base, but he hotwires the ship and it self-destructs. Maw escapes; Fyyar is dead.

Jerec is pissed at Kyle for not having seen through Jaden's plan. Kyle is sent to Sullust to search for the Reborn, for Jerec had extracted that information from Fyyar's brain. On his way out, Kyle meets his old friend Major Zegemor, and is introduced to Colonel Palo Jonvidis.

Chapter VI

Desann and Jaden arrive on Sullust. Desann visits Tavion's family to inform them of her being killed, while Jaden follows Rel Mook to the High Chief of the Reborn Clan: Manolan Tab'Skiy. They don't trust him, even though he says he is not loyal to Jerec, and gives them his lightsabre. Desann arrives just in time to tell Jaden Na-quam and the others are alive.

Vidomina has her job interview with Padora Hames. The mansion is big and upper class. Padora is very young businesswoman with a lot going for her. She likes Vidomina a lot and the conversation is highly informal. Vidomina likes her too, and is looking forward to the actual job. Needless to say, she is hired.

Chapter VII

Desann has given Jaden a tour of the Reborn caves. After dinner, they are due to meet Manolan again.

Na-quam is happy with Vidomina's job interview and has further developed her cover. Vidomina is leaving for her own place.

Kyle arrives on Sullust and senses Jaden's presence.

Manolan awaits Desann and Jaden. They urge Jaden to spill the beans on Jerec, especially when Jaden reveals how the three Clan members on Coruscant were spotted by the Empire.

Colonel Palo Jonvidis and Corporal Noakin Thoronis are shocked and appalled by the death of Admiral Galak Fyyar. They plan to defect.

Kyle enlists the help of the SoroSuub corporation in finding the Reborn.

Jaden senses Kyle's presence. Manolan contacts his friends in the cities to 'get to him'.

His friends trap Kyle in the city and take him prisoner.

Jonvidis is reassigned to the tracking of Fyyar's fellow scientists.

Chapter VIII

The backseat rebels exchange some dialogue detailing Vidomina's mission.

Vidomina's first day at work. She has trouble connecting to Cosmo the toddler, but, after a few tips, she invites him to play hide and seek. During the game, she stumbles upon the freighter she is after.

Jaden is forced to confront Kyle, who is imprisoned by the Reborn. They exchange some banter, before Kyle lets them know that the Imperial army is on its way.

Jonvidis finds that Galak Fyyar stopped on Sullust before they arrived on Edusa, in the ship's navicomputer. He needs to go there.

Chapter IX

Na-quam senses something is about to happen.

Kyle senses it too, but about something else.

Jerec too.

Vidomina and Padora prepare for the arrival of her boyfriend.

Jonvidis and Thoronis need a ship for their little desertion/rebellion. Admiral Perlon is approached, but he violently refuses.

Boc and Rosh (yes, they're still part of the story) board a random ship and kill a bounty hunter who was a slave trader once.

Maw and Jerec sense treason among the troops, but decide to await the outcome.

Yun is happily on his way to his girlfriend's mansion to have lunch with her and her staff… which includes Vidomina, because his girlfriend is Padora. There is instant tension, for Vidomina and Yun can sense each other's connection to the Force. Vidomina is afraid and defenceless, so she conjures up an excuse to go and flees the mansion.

Yun chases Vidomina to her hotel room, where he questions her. At first, he suspects she may be a Jedi padawan, but then he concludes she is untrained and his to mould. When she doesn't seem to like him touching her, he forces himself on her sexually, and she pushes him off of her with the Force. A call from Padora calls Yun away, or she'd have been punished severely.

Na-quam is playing dice, when Robuk tells him he wants to join the Reborn clan later. Then, suddenly, they receive a cry for help from Vidomina.

Admiral Perlon changed his mind and is now willing to help Jonvidis.

Chapter X

Desann and three of his cronies are preparing to execute Kyle.

Na-quam and some others returned Vidomina to their crew (probably having killed the troopers), Vidomina tells them all, and they decide that they must leave today… with Padora's ship. In the next scene, they break into the mansion.

It triggers an alarm that alerts Padora, who is currently waiting for Yun somewhere at the government installations. She is going home.

Patrols have arrived and a firefight has commenced outside, while the freighter is being prepped.

Vidomina meanwhile says goodbye to Cosmo and Yshua.

Ackbar is hit. Na-quam, Nebba, and Anda find out that Padora's trade is weapons and decide to take as many weapon containers with them.

Yun realises he has to go to the mansion too.

Padora arrives and confronts Vidomina about her treachery. Padora notices how different Vidomina was now she wasn't playing Pereilia anymore.

They finish up the prep.

Yun arrives. There is a brief conversation between Yun and Vidomina. Vidomina shields herself behind Padora, but Yun fires anyway, causing Vidomina to try and protect Padora. After some time, they retreat to the freighter and they escape the planet.

Yun contacts Jerec about the situation. Jerec orders him not to destroy the ship, but to disable their hyperdrive. That way he can follow them to Sullust. At the same time, Jerec is informed that his ship, the _Vengeance_ is leaving and has just jumped to hyperspace.

Chapter XI

The rebels are calming down now they're in space and are coughing up a plan to shake off the pursuers. They will land somewhere to fix the hyperdrive.

Maw and Admiral Mobbis prepare their assault on Sullust, and before they jump into that system, they learn that the _Vengeance_ is there…

Jonvidis, Perlon, and Thoronis are visiting the Reborn. They do not take kindly to Imperials, but soon they are convinced these are different. Jonvidis urges them to evacuate the cave using their cruiser, but Manolan refuses. This cave is their home. They can take Fyyar's following with them, though.

Nebba and Padora chat a bit aboard the freighter. Padora softens up.

Jerec orders Maw to wait in ambush until the ship Yun is chasing has arrived on Sullust. Only then must he attack.

After a long time, the freighter reaches Correllia. Wedge goes to visit his family. After some persuading, he can borrow a new ship from them. Yun's ship is spotted in orbit. Vidomina suggests that she takes the Hames freighter to lead Yun on a fake trail. After some resistance, the others agree with her that it is the only plan, though reluctantly so.

Padora convinces Vidomina to let her join, having the caretaker and her son as leverage on the other ship, in case she betrays Vidomina. Wedge, Han, and Lando exchange their doubts.

Yun sees through their trick, but knows what awaits the others on Sullust, so he pursues the ship with Vidomina on it.

Jaden and Desann exchange some conversation about Manolan's stupid decision not to evacuate, despite the fact that they have detected the Imperial fleet nearby. Jaden tries to convince Desann to let him go.

Chapter XII

The rebels, finally having a hyperdrive, arrive on Sullust. Reunion between Desann and Na-quam and of course Chadrina and Nil'Ss with the other Reborn. Jonvidis approaches the scene mockingly. When the _Vengeance_ is destroyed and the battle is about to begin, Lando agrees to take Jonvidis and his men with him.

Desann finds Jaden, gives him his sabre and tells him to seek out Na-quam in the hall, while he returns to the room where Katarn is being held for execution. The whole cave shakes due to incoming bombardments, during which Kyle manages to free himself from his binders and has obtained a lightsabre from one of the Reborn.

The battle begins. There's a battle in the sky, which is over very quickly. There will be a battle on the ground, where the bulk of the Reborn forces are waiting. And there's a battle in the courtroom between Desann and two other Reborn, versus Kyle. Jaden escaped, but his ship was hit nonetheless. The rebels also escape.

Na-quam had seen a glimpse of Jaden before chaos happened. Admiral Perlon proceeds to shed some light on what happened to Jaden.

The Reborn prepare for their ultimate battle. Many die as Maw feasts upon their bodies.

Desann is killed by Kyle, but not before he tells him "The Force betrays you", which drives Kyle mad.

Needless to say, the Reborn lost and are massacred, including their families.

Chapter XIII

Boc comes before Jerec, who is disappointed that he did not answer the call to help with the Reborn problem. Boc has been killing of slavers due to his past. Jerec warns him that some people eventually might come for him if he kills them left and right. The result of the Battle on Sullust reached their ears soon after.

The rebels are joyful in their escape. Soon, news of Vidomina's landing on Nal Hutta arrives, and Na-quam will come to her aid after the others have landed on a safe place: Essien.

Vidomina and Padora arrive at Gorga the Hutt's palace on Nal Hutta, but Gorga is unwilling to protect them. Instead, he was already contacted by Yun beforehand and plans to deliver them. Yun enters, kills Padora, briefly fights Vidomina, and then captures her.

Na-quam, Lando and Han are wondering whether they can trust the Imperial defectives when Jonvidis enters and tries to explain their goals. Eventually they trust each other a little bit more than before, and they land on Essien, so that Na-quam can go help Vidomina.

Vidomina manages to temporarily escape with the Hames freighter and crashlands on Nar Shaddaa. She manages to contact Na-quam about it, who gives her a location to go to.

She is hunted by TIE fighters and stormtroopers. Eventually, Na-quam's ship comes to rescue her.

Chapter XIV

Jerec evaluates the past few events with his posse and reorganises task division.

Vidomina and Na-quam also evaluate these events.

Teaser for episode 3: the introduction of Jorina through the eyes of her best friend. Also, we get to see where Jaden crashed.


End file.
